


Unusual Insight

by rach320



Category: DCU, DCU (Comics), Smallville, Superman (Comics), Superman - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Reincarnation, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-31
Updated: 2016-09-21
Packaged: 2018-07-28 13:34:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 61,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7642654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rach320/pseuds/rach320
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Season five rewrite post Void, cannon divergence.</p><p>It was an ordinary day at a museum. The last thing that either of them expected was for that simple trip to set off a chain reaction of events that would forever change not only their lives, but how they looked at the world. Lois and Clark were friends-- sort of. But several strange dreams later, and the world was no longer as straight forward as they thought it was.</p><p>Now they just have to figure out what these dreams are and what to do about them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Lois decides that Clark is going to help her with her courswork.

 

Lois’ grin was contagious as she sang along loudly to the Whitesnake blaring out of her car speakers. She could tell that Clark desperately wanted to yell at her to shut up, but the polite Kent manners were too well ingrained for him to ask her to. Especially when they were in her car, not his. It was early spring in Kansas, the weather beginning to warm up and slowly melting away the snow that had blanketed the prairie land for the past few months. Today, Lois was dragging Clark with her to the history museum in Metropolis.

 

In an effort to prove her father and Lex Luthor wrong, Lois had enrolled alongside Clark at Central Kansas. One of her general education requirements was an ancient history class, which was requiring her to go and write a paper about the newly opened exhibit at the museum on Ancient Greece. And well, Lois wasn’t about to stand around a museum alone, so she dragged Clark along. He and Lana had just broken up and Lois thought he needed to get out of the house. She wasn’t sure about the specifics of the breakup, but Lois did know Clark. And even though he was apparently the one who ended it, he was brooding.

 

And well, Lois didn’t feel like dealing with a brooding Clark. 

 

So she did what she did best, and did everything in her power to annoy him and bring him out of his mood. Chloe had mentioned to Lois once that she seemed to be the only one who was able to bring Clark out of his broods. Lois didn’t think too hard about it, shrugging it off and explaining it as their ability to get on each others’ nerves beating Clark’s desire to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders.

 

“Come on, Clarkie, sing with me!” Lois exclaimed, taking a hand off the wheel to quickly punch him in the shoulder.

 

“Lois, I agreed to come to the museum with you, do I really have to join the Whitesnake sing-a-long as well?” Clark complained, hand rubbing the spot where she had hit him.

 

Lois shot him a look that clearly meant she was not to be argued with, so Clark relented. He grumbled a few protests before joining and and half-heartedly singing along with her.

 

By the time they reached the museum, Clark was laughing in between trying to sing along with Lois, who was acting out the lyrics and banging her head as much as was safe while driving a car. Somehow she was able to get Clark to laugh, something his mother and Chloe had been trying to do for days. Lois took little note of her companion’s change in mood however, jumping out of the car the minute she was parked. She bolted towards the museum, almost making Clark lose his footing as she dragged her reluctant friend along. Clark rolled his eyes as they quickly paid for their tickets, apologising for Lois’ abrupt nature to the ticket lady, before almost running after Lois as she made a beeline for the Ancient Greece exhibit.

 

“Lois, don’t you want to, I don’t know, check out all of the museum since we’re here?” Clark asked, doing his best to help them avoid hitting exhibits and people as Lois bulldozed her way to her destination.

 

“Smallville, when you grew up going from base to base like I did, you learn more about the history of those cultures than any museum could tell you.”

 

“I didn’t grow up travelling around the world, Lois.”

 

“Yeah, and you also had to be bribed into coming today. My assignment, my rules.” Lois said, her tone indicating that there would be no further discussion.

 

“Yes, Lois.” Clark’s reply was complacent as they stopped at the beginning of the Ancient Greece exhibit, Lois pulling out her pen and paper to take notes.

 

His reprieve from being pulled across the museum was short-lived however, as Lois started to drag him to the different displays as she took notes on the artefacts. Clark offered up helpful facts about random items, remembering some of the many tales that Lex had told him during their brief friendship. Or whatever that could be called.

 

Lois quirked an eyebrow at Clark’s knowledge. “Sure you don’t want to be a history major, Smallville? You seem to know a lot already.”

 

Clark shook his head vehemently. “No, Lois. Lex just used to tell me a lot about Ancient Greece. He was pretty obsessed with his namesake.”

 

“Alexander the Great?” Lois snorted, rolling her eyes. Yeah, Lois could imagine the mighty Lex Luthor being obsessed with a man who had had a large empire. She decided not to push the matter further, instead jerking Clark towards a large display filled with various pieces of jewellery. By the time Lois had arrived in Smallville, Clark’s friendship with Lex was well on the way to fizzling out. However, it was still a sore subject with Clark for some reason and Lois was careful not to mention Lex unless Clark brought him up.

 

Lois’ gaze quickly zeroed in on a pair of green-blue earrings the colour of Clark’s eyes. _‘Wow, wait,’_ Lois caught herself, chastising herself mentally. ‘ _You did not just compare Clark’s eyes to the colour of a pair of earrings. Nope, you aren’t going there, Lane_.’ Giving herself a good shake, Lois studied the earrings again, trying to figure out what drew her to them.

 

“Looks like they’re made out of sapphire,” Clark commented, reading the label in front of the earrings that had seemingly captivated Lois. “I wonder what the story is behind them. All it says is that they were found hidden in the temple of Aphrodite.”

 

Lois tilted her head before replying. “They were given to her by a lover who promised that he would never leave. And then he had to leave and never return, and the girl was so heartbroken that she joined the temple.”

 

Clark looked at Lois, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. “What are you all of a sudden, psychic?”

 

Lois shook her head furiously, not even being able to make sense of her statement herself. “No, it was just a guess. I mean jewellery at the temple of Aphrodite doesn’t make much sense, ergo, there had to be a jilted lover involved.”

 

“Sure, whatever you say, Lois.” Clark replied, but Lois had already pushed past him, heading back towards the entrance to the museum.

 

“Come on, Clark, we have a long drive home.”

 

~~~

 

Lois was uncharacteristically silent on the drive home, not even turning on the radio or putting in one of her many CDs. Clark wanted to press the issue, he did, but he remembered all those times after his dad died where Lois just sat in the loft with him and said nothing, knowing that he didn’t want to be alone, even if he didn’t want to talk. So Clark didn’t say anything until he said goodbye when she dropped him off.

 

He wandered into the kitchen, fixing himself something quick for dinner as his mother was staying for the week in Topeka. What was it about those earrings that made Lois so unnerved? And more importantly, why did the story Lois offered up about the earrings origins make perfect sense to Clark? In fact, why did he want to tell Lois that the man didn’t want to leave? Where did that come from?

 

Shrugging his shoulders, Clark sat on the couch with a sandwich in one hand, the tv remote in the other. His phone rang, Chloe, but Clark ignored it, letting the phone ring until it went to voicemail. Clark loved his best friend, he did, but that last thing he needed right now was a discussion of everything that could possibly go wrong in the next couple of months. He just didn’t want to hear it right now. He had enough on his plate at the moment with the threat of Brainiac, he didn’t need anything else. He especially didn’t need to start worrying over some earrings in an exhibit in the museum. It was an ancient history exhibit, so Clark would do what the rest of the world had done and leave the earrings in the past. Tonight, Clark just wanted to relax and forget everything and just pretend, just for once, that he was normal.

 

Lois was doing a similar thing to Clark, except instead of watching TV, she was cleaning her tiny apartment. Now, Lois wasn’t a big fan of cleaning, but it was something that she was very good at. Growing up with military discipline meant that she could clean a room quickly and efficiently and there wouldn’t be a speck of dust in sight. Except currently, Lois wasn’t trying to win any world cleaning records. She was taking her time and trying to distract herself from what happened at the museum earlier today.

 

‘ _Where the hell did that come from?’_ Lois wondered. She had always had quite an imagination despite her practical nature, but she never blurted out everything that her imagination churned out. And yet today she did. And somehow, that story she spun about the earrings felt so true to her, as if that was really the story behind them.

 

Her phone rang, the loud sound of the Ghostbusters theme playing. Chloe would kill her if she knew that that was Lois’ ringtone for her, but it fit Chloe so well, especially in her days on the Torch, if you just switched ghosts with meteor freaks. “Hey, Chlo.” Lois answered, cradling her phone between her ear and her shoulder as she wiped down the kitchen counter.

 

“Hey, Lois.” Chloe asked, “I was just wondering if you’ve heard from Clark?”

 

“Clark?” Lois asked, immediately going on the defensive. “I haven’t heard from him since I dropped him off at the farm earlier today.”

 

“Oh well, I’ve just being trying to contact him and he isn’t answering his phone, which is really unlike Clark. Plus, Mrs. Kent can’t get a hold of him either.”

 

Lois chuckled at Chloe’s worried tone. Chloe was oddly protective over Clark, which Lois assumed came from years of friendship and Clark’s easily trusting nature. Add that to Chloe’s tendency to be glued to her phone and not believe that other people didn’t have the same affliction, led to many harried phone calls when Chloe couldn’t reach her best friend.

 

“Chloe,” Lois tutted, “I took the farm boy to Metropolis today for an assignment I had to do. The big city just probably tuckered the kid out.” Chloe sighed and Lois could picture her running her hands through her short blonde hair. “Now, please tell me that you still aren’t at the Planet.”

 

“Um…”

 

“Chloe,” Lois scolded, “you really need to start having a life outside of school and work. I love you dear cousin, but your social life is lacking.”

 

“Hey, like you can talk.” Chloe protested. “What are you doing right now? Probably watching a monster truck rally and eating ice cream on your couch. That’s not exactly social, cousin of mine.”

 

“Actually, I’m cleaning.” Lois replied, instantly regretting her decision to be honest when she heard her cousin’s sharp intake of breath.

 

“Okay, who died?”

 

“What, am I not allowed to clean my apartment?”

 

“Lois, you’re one of the messiest people I know. You don’t clean unless something is wrong, or you can no longer beat a path to the door.”

 

Okay, so it was true that Lois hated cleaning. It was a reaction to never being allowed to have a messy room growing up. Much like smoking, she started being messy to get on her father’s nerves. So maybe Chloe’s reaction was warranted, but Lois didn’t want to get into it right now. Chloe would ask questions that Lois didn’t know the answer to. “The mess was getting too much, even for me.”

 

“Okay, you and I are both getting out this weekend. Look, I’m required to cover this throwback to the days when people still had balls and royalty still existed thing for work and I managed to snag a few extra tickets. I was going to bring Lana, but this way, I get you out of the house because you’re clearly so bored you’ve resorted to cleaning and I can bring along Clark and get him off the farm. Come on, what do you say?”

 

“What day is it?”

 

“It’s Saturday night. Come on, it will be fun to watch rich people attempt to waltz.”

 

“Fine.” Lois sighed. “Send me the details and I’ll be there.”

 

Chloe let out a yelp of excitement before ensuring that her cousin wouldn’t back out and hanging up the phone. Suddenly exhausted, Lois gave up on her cleaning and decided that the best course of action would be to go to bed.

 

Maybe her pillow was the only solution for all the thoughts swirling about in her head.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ancient Greece

**330 BCE**

**Macedonia**

 

Lois gave a half-hearted smile as she greeted the other generals. Her father was a high-ranking general in King Alexander of Macedonia’s army. He and several other generals were gathered in their house for a ‘strategy’ discussion. At least, that’s what her father called it. Lois thought that it was an excuse for old men to drink wine and gaze undisturbed at the beautiful women who were currently dancing below the balcony the generals were sitting on.

 

“Lois!” Her father called, using his hand to beckon her further.

 

“Yes, Father?” Lois asked, stepping forward with the carafe of wine to refill their goblets. 

 

When it was just Lois and her father, Lois was allowed to voice her opinions about her father’s plans. When Lois’ mother had died giving birth to Lois, her father was devastated. Not only had he lost his wife, but he now had a daughter to raise instead of a son. So, the general did what he could, raising his daughter as he would a son. At least, until it became impossible to ignore that Lois was not the son he desired. And then, in public, he would treat Lois as every other wealthy girl was treated; As nothing more than a future vessel for children to be married off to the highest bidder. In private, he allowed her to educate herself. Lois was more than tired of the double standards, however she knew that she could be much worse off.

 

“Tell the cook that we are ready for our dinner.”

 

“Yes, Father.” Lois replied, bowing her head slightly as she exited the room.

 

The cream fabric of her dress rustled against her legs as she scurried out of the house after delivering the message to the cook. The house had become constricting to Lois. With her father away for longer and longer stretches of time with the army, there was more pressure on her father, and thus on Lois, to match her to an acceptable man. Lois sighed as she sat in the labyrinth of a garden, taking comfort in the sweet smell of the flowers around her. Whatever semblance of freedom she had now would disappear completely the moment she married. That much, Lois knew.

 

Lois startled out of her thoughts when she heard crunching gravel behind her. Whipping her head around, Lois glared at the intruder, her fury at being disturbed waning at a glance into his hypnotic eyes. They stared at each other for a long moment before the intruder broke the silence, an easy smile finding it’s way onto his lips.

 

“I apologise for disturbing you. I am told that this is the Spiros residence. I have a message for the general from King Alexander.”

 

“Yes it is,” Lois replied carefully. “He is currently in a meeting, but I can take you to him. What is your name?”

 

“Kal.” The man replied, the same smile on his face. “I trust that you are the general’s daughter, Lois. My fellow soldiers have not lied about your beauty.”

 

Lois cursed inwardly as she reddened at his words, calling behind her for him to follow as she began to walk back to the house. She had just met the man and yet she was blushing at a simple compliment. Other girls her age may have had that behaviour, but Lois had always secretly prided herself on not falling at the feet of every attractive man who tried to woo her.

 

“May I ask why you were sent, Kal? You are not the normal messenger.”

 

“I am currently the fastest runner, therefore I am the first to be sent out.”

 

“Where are you from? You do not sound as if you are from here.”

 

Kal chuckled, his eyes shining with mirth. “You ask a lot of questions, especially for a general’s daughter, Lois.”

 

Lois stiffened at his words, hoping that she had not overstepped her place as she was prone to do. “I apologise, I did not mean to offend you.”

 

Kal’s voice softened. “I am not offended, dear Lois. It has been a while since anyone has talked to me about anything beyond war. I am feared by other soldiers due to my prowess in battle and few talk to me unless they are ordered to. There is no need to apologise.”

 

“Well, you do not frighten me, dear Kal.” Lois paused at the entrance to the balcony. “My father and the other generals are through here. I trust that if you have need of me further, my father will send for me.”

 

With that Lois parted and hurried to her room, shutting the door behind her. Kal had stirred in her things that no suitor had before. And in a cruel twist of fate, he was just a solider under King Alexander’s rule, not someone her father would deem worthy of her marrying.

 

~~~

 

Lois was awakened that night by soft footsteps on her balcony. Bolting out of bed, Lois grabbed the small dagger she kept in her room for when her father was away and ran out onto the balcony, holding the knife in front of her.

 

“Please, I do not mean you any harm.” Kal smirked as Lois’ shaking arm held the dagger in front of her. 

 

“Kal?” Lois exclaimed, her voice rough as she tried to whisper despite her anger. “What are you doing here?”

 

“I had wished to talk to you after delivering the message to your father, but you had seemingly disappeared.”

 

“How did you get up here?”

 

“You said it yourself, Lois, I am clearly not from around here.”

 

“Kal, what are you?” Lois found herself asking before she could stop herself. After meeting him, Lois was quick to ask the servants for any gossip surrounding him. Apparently, Kal had appeared out of nowhere one day and had proven himself to be a superior solider. Some even said that his body broke the swords that swung at it.

 

“I am not someone you should fear. I’m sorry for overstepping what is proper, but you remind me so much of the women back home. Women here rarely voice their opinions, and it is something that I miss.”

 

“Women are allowed to… Women…” Lois was at a loss for words, trying to comprehend living in a world where she was expected to speak, and not hushed for it.

 

“Yes,” Kal smiled. “If you come with me I will tell you all about where I’m from. Your father will never know that you are gone. Trust me.”

 

Against her better judgement, Lois trusted the almost virtual stranger, and fled off with him into the night.

 

Over the next several weeks, Kal would return to her as often as he could. Their feelings for each other bloomed, yet both were keenly aware of the illicit nature of their relationship. She was from a wealthy military family, and to the world, Kal was nothing but a lowly soldier. He had no known wealth to his name and the general would never accept him as his daughter’s suitor.

 

One night, Kal was in a very somber mood. Lois tried to cajole him into better spirits, using tales of the trouble she had gotten into with her father that day, but Kal’s gloom was relentless. Finally, Lois had had enough.

 

“Kal, if you are not going to attempt to be pleasant, I ask that you return me to my room.”

 

Kal sighed deeply, running his hands through his knotted hair. Gone was the strong man Lois had come to know, and in his place was a broken man, one who seemed defeated. “I’m sorry, my dear Lois. I have heard troubling news today from all directions.”

 

Lois’ brow furrowed as she stepped closer to Kal, placing her hand on his forearm. It was as close of contact with each other that they allowed themselves. While their meetings would cause uproar, at least this way they could both say that nothing improper had gone on during them. “Then tell me what is wrong, Kal, and let me help.”

 

“There is nothing that can be done.” Kal replied grimly, mouth set in a firm line. “I have heard around camp today that your father is vetting young officers for your hand and is offering a handsome dowry.”

 

Lois’ voice caught in her throat as her grip on him tightened. She knew this day was coming, the day that her father would tire of her being a maid and living in his house. She just never expected that it would come so soon.

 

“And that’s not all, my father has advised me that I must return home soon. He fears that I have revealed too much of my abilities to the humans. I tried to argue with him, tell him that I have found someone that I care deeply about and do not wish to leave, yet his only reply was that I have responsibilities to the council that I must fulfil.”

 

“I don’t want you to go. And I wish to wed no one else but you.”

 

Once again Kal sighed, reaching to caress her cheek gently. “And I never want to leave you, but I fear that I am going to have to. Just know, Lois, that you will always hold my heart.”

 

“And you will always hold mine.” Lois replied, tears brimming in her eyes.

 

Removing his hand from her face, Kal quietly and without celebration removed a pair of earrings from his tunic, the strange light blue gemstone glittering in the moonlight, showing hints of green. “I want you to have these to remember me by.”

 

“Oh, Kal.” Lois replied, not trusting herself to say more.

 

Without a word further, Kal gently place them on Lois’ ears, slowly removing his hands from her and placing distance between them once again. It was a bittersweet moment for both of them, two souls faced with an impossible love.

 

~~~

 

That was the last night that they had seen each other, Lois falling into a deep melancholy at his departure. At first, her father was respectful, attributing Lois’ sudden change in mood to her being a woman. And then he noticed the earrings she wore, earrings that he had not bought her.

 

Harsh words were slung, her father yelling that he wouldn’t have his daughter sneaking around his back like a whore. He had demanded that she give him the earrings, but when she refused, Lois received a sharp slap to the face.

 

Lois backed away, stunned as her face reddened from the blow. Her hand cupped the side of her face that was still stinging as she backed further and further into her room like a caged animal. “How dare you?” Lois spat, only for her father to scoff at her.

 

“Plenty of fathers have done worse to their daughters. Perhaps I should have and we wouldn’t have found ourselves in this mess.”

 

“Well, too bad you wanted a son.” Lois growled. “Too bad you taught me to read, to hunt, to think!”

 

“I’ve had enough of this insolence, Lois. You either give me those earrings and pick a suitable man to marry or you are banned from this house!”

 

“I will not be bartered off to marry like a cow at the market!” Lois yelled, “I would rather die than marry someone who I do not love.”

 

“Lois…” Her father’s voice was low, a warning.

 

“I will leave in the morning for the temple of Aphrodite, the goddess of love. I would gladly serve her for the rest of my life and live a simple existence than do your bidding.”

 

With one more harsh blow, the general left the room and Lois wept. She wept for finally seeing the man her father was, she wept for Kal and how the universe had conspired to keep them apart, and she wept for herself. She had finally known what it felt like to be truly happy, only to have it taken from her.

 

The temple provided Lois with shelter when she reached it and a few days later, she took her vows. Kal was not returning, she knew that now. Her father had become a hard, cruel man, treating her like the property every other man thought she was. There was nothing left for Lois. And so, hiding the earrings in her room, Lois spent the rest of her life devoting herself to Aphrodite and living in sadness, hoping that someday, somehow, she and her love would be reunited.

 

~~~

 

It had been a year since Kal had been forced to leave Lois and it had taken him that long to convince his father that his place was not on the council, but here, on Earth, with her. He had treasures with him now that he knew would provide him with everything he needed to give Lois the life that she deserved. He just hoped that he wasn’t too late.

 

His first stop was her house, but upon finding no one there, Kal decided to wander around the nearby village, hoping to be able to get answers from one of the merchants.

 

“Excuse me,” Kal asked, “what happened to the lady who lived in that house?”

 

“The daughter of General Spiros?” The merchant replied. “Oh, that was quite the dramatic event.”

 

Fear gripped Kal at the man’s words, fearing the worst. “Continue.”

 

“Well, she joined the temple of Aphrodite, gave her vows and everything. No one knows exactly why, but it’s believed that she fell in love with a man below her status and when her father wouldn’t allow her to marry him, she joined the temple instead.”

 

Somehow, Kal managed to mumbled his thanks to the man, and quickly got out of sight before flying to the temple, landing far enough away so that no one could see him through the thick forest of trees surrounding the building. It was then that Kal saw Lois. She was dressed in the pious robes of the maidens of Aphrodite, not wearing any ornaments or any decorations that would add to her beauty. His eyes followed her as she walked from the main part of the temple to what he assumed were her bed chambers.

 

His breath caught in his throat, he watched as she shoved a chair against the door and quickly unearthed a hidden box from a hole in the wall behind her bed. As she opened it, Kal caught the glimpse of the gemstone earrings that he had given her and watched as she quickly began to sob, one hand covering her mouth to muffle the noise of her sorrow.

 

Kal wanted nothing more than to go to her and comfort her, but he knew that he could not. She had already given her vows and to go back on them now would be punishable by death. Instead, with one last look at his love, Kal fled from the area and back to the portal that he had travelled through. It seemed that fate had other ideas than to let them find happiness with each other. And while he would never love another, he understood that his place was reluctantly still on Krypton.


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe gets told about the dreams.

Lois gasped as she woke from her dream. The details of it were incredible. She had never had a dream so vivid before. And those earrings, they were the exact same earrings as the ones that had captivated her in the museum and somehow the story that she had come up for their existence had played out in her subconscious during her dream.

 

At least, that was what she was telling herself, even if she didn’t fully believe it. How else could she explain that the girl in the dream was her, even if it didn’t look like her? And how it was Clark who was her lover, even if the man in her dreams bore only a passing resemblance to the Clark she knew? Besides, of all people she would want to play her love interest, Lois wouldn’t pick Clark. Sure, she had thought about Clark that way once or twice; After all, she did meet the man naked. However, Lois never once thought that she would fall in love with Clark. They were friends and if she was honest with herself, he was her best friend besides Chloe. But them in a relationship? Nope, no way. Not in this lifetime. That dream was the result of their trip to the museum and nothing else.

 

So Lois did what she did best. She pretended that the dream never happened and went about getting ready to go visit her cousin.

 

~~~

 

It was late when Clark woke up and he knew that he should be getting to the cows. He never normally slept in this late, not really needing sleep as much as humans due to his abilities, and as a result, Clark was often up before the rooster. However, last night he had fallen into such a deep sleep it disturbed him.

 

The dream was not helping Clark be as productive as he needed to be either. It was so realistic, much like the memory flashbacks that Clark had been given from Jor-el’s pendant. But what did it all mean? Did one of his ancestors and Lois’ ancestors once meet and fall in love and his ancestor gave Lois’ the earrings in the museum as a parting gift? Was he seeing thousands of years into the past?

 

It was probably a question that Clark should ask Jor-el, however given the ultimatum that his father had last given him that has resulted in his father’s death, Clark wasn’t about to go running to Jor-el unless he had to.

 

No, what Clark was going to do was that he was going to go to work on the farm and then visit Chloe later. If anyone would be able to sort out Clark’s subconscious while his mother was away in Topeka, it would be Chloe.

 

~~~

 

Lois waited for Chloe to come down from her dorm room, not wanting to make awkward smalltalk with Lana while Chloe finished getting ready for their day out in the city. It wasn’t that Lois didn’t like Lana, she thought the girl was nice enough. But, they were really only friends by association and if Lois didn’t have to tread the thin line that was being friends with both Lana and Clark, she wasn’t going to. She’s been watching Chloe do it since Lois arrived in Smallville over a year ago and walking that line seemed to be anything but fun.

 

“Hey, Lo!” Chloe called as she sprinted off the steps of her dorm. “Sorry it took me so long, I haven’t had my coffee yet.”

 

“It’s no problem.” Lois smiled, chuckling a bit at how ruffled her cousin was, much like she was, without her morning coffee. If anyone questioned that Lois and Chloe were related, all that would be needed was a look into their respective caffeine habits to confirm their relation.

 

“Now, I know you want to find us dresses for Saturday, but I’m thinking we hit up a café first.”

 

“My thoughts exactly, Chlo. How can we find the perfect dresses if we aren’t running on all four cylinders yet?”

 

“Exactly.” Chloe grinned. “Now come on, I know just the place.”

 

Lois relaxed for the first time that day as her cousin chattered on about her classes and her work at the Planet. Since Chloe had moved to Metropolis for college, Lois didn’t see as much of her cousin as she’d like. Granted, after Lois’ mother died, they rarely saw each other, but Lois felt that she got spoiled living in the same town as her cousin for a year. Chloe was the one family member who Lois felt understood her and loved her not because she was family, but because of who she was. Her relationship with her father was strained, and Lois didn’t even want to think about her relationship with her sister. But Chloe was always there for her, and Lois missed having her around.

 

Today was exactly what Lois needed.

 

“So come on,” Chloe said as she flipped through the dress racks with Lois, attempting to find a suitable ball gown. “You’ve got the update on Chloe Sullivan, tell me all about the life of Lois Lane?”

 

“I don’t know, there’s not much to say.”

 

“Oh, come on, Lois,” Chloe replied, holding a lilac dress up against herself before putting it back on the rack, “your life is never boring. I mean, you’re Lois Lane, there has to be something we can gossip about.”

 

Lois hesitated, as she flicked through the racks, the silky fabric of the dresses sticking slightly to her fingers as she did so. She bit her lip as she contemplated a response, finally deciding that if she told anyone about her dream, it would be Chloe. “I had a really weird dream last night.”

 

“Oh, how so? Are we talking PG or more R-rated material?”

 

“PG definitely. Well, maybe PG-13.” Lois replied as they headed towards the dressing rooms with a pile of dresses in their arms, heading into adjacent rooms so that they could continue talking. “I think it was inspired by my field trip to the museum yesterday.”

 

Chloe mumbled to show that she was listening as she tried on her dresses. Lois quickly threw on one herself before they stepping out to show each other their picks.

 

“I mean, it was definitely set in Ancient Greece. And it was me, you know, as the recipient of those earrings in the museum that were found in the temple of Aphrodite. I mean, she didn’t look like me, but I knew she was me.”

 

Both dresses were quickly nixed and the girls returned to the dressing rooms to try on the next picks, Lois continuing her story. “I was living this girl’s life about her secret lover who gave her these earrings. It was kinda this Romeo and Juliet tale, ya know? Like, her father wouldn’t approve of him so they met in secret and then he had to leave for some reason and left her the earrings. And then her father tried to marry her off and she refused and joined the temple. I don’t know, it was so weird. Besides, what kind of love story ends so sadly? I mean, he has to leave and she becomes a nun? I’m sorry but that sucks.”

 

“Maybe you were just trying to find an explanation for those earrings that the museum didn’t offer. I know you, Lois, you don’t like unsolved mysteries.” Chloe replied.

 

“I don’t know, I mean, it was so vivid. I just, I had this feeling in my gut that this was true, that this really happened.” Lois said as she quickly approve of the pastel pink dress that Chloe had on, the colour of the dress and the simple design suiting her cousin. “And the weirdest part is, is that Clark had the staring role as my secret lover. I mean, the guy kinda looked like Clark, not really, but I knew he was Clark just like I knew that she was me. I mean, in what universe is Clark my leading man?”

 

Chloe smirked as she flicked through her cousin’s dresses and decided on a royal blue dress for her cousin to try on. “Well, Freud thought that dreams were the key to deciphering the unconscious, Lois. Maybe your dream was trying to tell you something.”

 

“What, that Clark is my knight in shining armour? Chloe, there is no way in hell that brooding farm boy is ever going to be anything more to me than an annoyance.”

 

“There’s a lot of sides to Clark Kent, Lo, he might just surprise you one day.”

 

“Yeah, that will be the day pigs fly.” Lois replied with a roll of her eyes, “now come on, I’m starving and I believe that we’ve both found our dresses for this weekend.”

 

Lois and Chloe quickly found a diner near the Planet and ordered food, Chloe continuing to work jibes in about Lois’ prince charming being Clark as they ate. Lois steadfastly ignored her cousin’s sly remarks, continuing to make plans for Saturday.

 

“You should just get ready at the Talon with me. That way, we can get ready together and then Smallville will drive us in and then we can just drop you off at your dorm later. It’ll be just like old times.”

 

“If by old times you mean the prom where you got taken over by a vengeful wannabe prom queen, then yes.”

 

Lois took her gaze off her food and glared at her cousin. “Yeah, but this time, I’m not wearing pink and I’m doing my own hair. And I’m especially not wearing hot pink with rhinestones, I mean, geesh, tacky much?”

 

Chloe chuckled, remembering the insanity of that day. “I have a few ideas for your hair.” Lois raised an eyebrow in question, silently asking her cousin to elaborate as Lois continued digging into her burger. “I think that we should dye your hair back. I mean, you look good with this dirty blonde thing you’ve had going for a few years since you decided to piss off your father, but I think that your natural hair would go really well with the dress we got.”

 

“Chloe, I’m not dying my hair back just because you think it would look good with my dress. That’s ridiculous.”

 

“Why? The only reason you dyed in the first place is because it drove your father crazy and Lois, keeping it dyed is just another symbol that the general still has power over you.” 

 

Chloe grinned as Lois growled, knowing that that little dig would get her cousin to agree to her suggestion. That last thing Lois would ever admit would be that she cared about what her father thought about her. She did, of course, everyone valued their parent’s approval to a certain degree. Lois just didn’t want to admit that she did. “Fine, but I’m allowed to change it back if I want to and you’ll have to help me.”

 

“Deal.” Chloe replied, fighting a squeal.

 

Lois was glaring mutinously at her cousin as Clark approached them, surprised to not see Chloe at the Planet like he expected her to be. “Chloe!” Clark called out as he crossed the street, “I was just on my way to the Planet to see you.”

 

“Hey, Clark.” Chloe smiled, still feeling smug about her victory over Lois. “Lois and I were just having lunch but I’ll be heading to the Planet soon to pick up some things. What’s up?”

 

“Nothing urgent, I just wanted to talk and figured you’d be at work.”

 

“It’s okay, Clark, you can have her.” Lois replied, speaking up and leaving her share of the bill on the table before grabbing her garnet bag. “I should probably leave before my cousin manages to extract any more promises out of me. See you guys on Saturday.” 

 

Lois quickly got up from the table, avoiding looking Clark in the eye for fear that seeing him would bring back the feelings that her dream last night inspired. Clark wasn’t her knight in shining armour, Lois was certain of that. However, he definitely was in that strange dream and Lois didn’t want to give anything away.

 

Clark looked at Lois questioningly as she rushed out of the diner, Chloe chuckling at something as she paid the rest of fare and picked up her things before walking towards the Planet. “What’s up with Lois?” Clark asked.

 

“Oh, nothing, we were just discussing plans for Saturday and I managed to get her to agree to a few things.”

 

“Okay…” Clark replied hesitantly, knowing just how easily he could get roped into whatever Chloe was scheming. “What’s Saturday?”

 

Chloe glanced over her shoulder as they entered the bullpen. “Have you not checked your voicemail yet?”

 

“No, sorry, I woke up late this morning.”

 

At this Chloe stopped walking and whipped around to face Clark, her eyes glaring with unspoken accusations. “Wait, you woke up late? Mr. I only need four hours of sleep, woke up late?”

 

“I know, I know, it was really weird. I was just in a really deep sleep and I kinda wanted to talk to you about that. But before that, what’s happening on Saturday?”

 

“You, Lois and I are going to this ball thing that I have to cover for the Planet and managed to score a few extra tickets to. You’ll need to wear a tux.”

 

“Chloe…” Clark groaned, already hating the prospect of being forced into a tux for more than an hour.

 

“No buts, Clark. These tickets are free and it will be fun. You’re coming.” Clark grumbled his agreement as Chloe quickly picked up the notes for a story she was working on along with the tickets for Saturday. “Now, tell me why you slept late.”

 

“I had a really weird dream last night.”

 

Chloe’s back stiffened at the words that Lois had spoken to her just hours before. “Oh? What about?”

 

Clark continued on to tell Chloe about his dream as she led them to a more secluded area of the Planet, having a sinking feeling that this conversation was going to get weird very fast. So far, every detail Clark included of his dream, and there were a lot, was matching with Lois’ version of the tale. The only difference was that Clark didn’t talk about the fight with the father and leaving for the temple. No, Clark’s dream left off when he gave Lois the earrings and continued a year later when he returned to find her and be with her, only to find out through the locals that Lois had given her vows at the temple and would never be able to leave. Disheartened, Clark returned through the portal back to Krypton.

 

“And normally, I’d brush it off.” Clark said as he finished telling Chloe about his dream. “I mean, I have strange dreams all the time, but it’s just, they were so real, Chloe. And they felt exactly like those visions I had from Jor-el’s visit to Smallville. It has to be telling me something, I just don’t know what. I mean, what if who I dreamed about were mine and Lois’ ancestors? Chloe?”

 

For once, Chloe didn’t know what to say. How much of what Lois had confided in her did she reveal to Clark? Realising that Clark was still waiting for her reply, she decided to reveal her knowledge gradually. She first suggested that Clark visit the fortress and look for answers there. However, when that suggestion was met with a firm refusal from Clark, Chloe sighed. “Clark, I know you have every reason not to trust Jor-El, believe me, I know, but Lois had the exact same dream last night. She was telling me about it today and it really upset her.”

 

“What?” Clark asked, crossing his arms across his chest and looking at Chloe in disbelief. “How could two people have the exact same dream?”

 

“Well, I mean, it wasn’t exactly identical, but the characters and the plot were the same.” Chloe said before looking at Clark and realising that she would have to continue. She just hoped that Lois never found out that she had told Clark all about her strange dream without her permission. “I mean, in your version you leave and come back and find her at the temple and then leave again. Lois’ dream fills in what happened in your absence. Her father found out about you after you left and they got in a fight and then she left to join the temple. Her dream ended there.”

 

“What are you implying, Chloe?”

 

“I’m not implying anything, Clark, I’m just pointing out that something strange is going on here. I mean, it sounds to me like you and Lois were told this story in your dreams, maybe about your ancestors, I don’t know, but you owe it to both of you to find out. I mean, she was telling it from one perspective and you’re telling it from another. This is more than just a coincidence, Clark.”

 

Clark rejected what Chloe was telling him with one negative shake of his head. “I’m sure it’s nothing important. I mean, we live in Smallville, weird stuff happens there all the time, right?”

 

“Clark…” Chloe said, softly, not wanting to push too far and cause Clark to close off. “I’m not saying that you’re supposed to learn something from this, but shouldn’t you try to figure out why you and Lois are having identical dreams?”

 

“Look, it’s only happened once. I’m not going to worry about it. I’ll see you Saturday, Chloe. Text me the details.”

 

And with that, Clark exited the Planet, leaving Chloe frustrated as she clutched her dress in one hand and her work in the other. She would have to deal with strange phenomena happening to the two most stubborn people on the planet. How could she get both of them to admit that that dream wasn’t a coincidence when she could barely get them to admit that they were friends, despite the fact that they spent more time together than Chloe saw either of them these days?

 

She wasn’t, that was just the thing. Chloe sighed once more before deciding to head back to her dorm. At this point, she would rather deal with Lana’s new astronomy obsession than try to convince Clark that he needed to talk to Jor-El about the dream. Some things, Clark just had to do on his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so sue me, I like Lois better with darker hair. Also, as her hair darkened in the series, her relationship with Clark deepened. Thus, I thought it was kind of symbolic and foreshadowing of things to come to have her dye her hair.
> 
> I have my artistic license and I'm taking advantage of it.


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lois, Clark, and Chloe attend the ball.

Clark grimaced as he pulled at the collar of his tux, wishing for nothing more than to be wearing anything other than the penguin suit he had rented for the evening. He honestly didn’t understand how people like Lex wore these on a regular basis. To be fair, Lex probably had hand-tailored suits that were much higher quality than the one that he was currently wearing, but Clark just didn’t think that a tux of any kind could be comfortable.

 

He glanced at his watch one more time before deciding to just to be early to pick Chloe and Lois up from Lois’ apartment. It would be better to hang out there with whichever one was ready, than to hang out at the farm by himself and debate just not going. Chloe would never let it go if he backed out last minute and the longer he spent alone, the more likely he was to.

 

~~~

 

Chloe meanwhile was stifling laughter as Lois ran around the apartment in various states of readiness, yelling about how they shouldn’t have dyed her hair today because now she was behind schedule. Chloe had replied that they wouldn’t have been behind schedule if Lois had woken up when she was supposed to, but that had only resulted in Lois throwing a shoe at her cousin.

 

Lois screamed in frustration her from room as she tried to find the last thing she needed to finish getting ready, eliciting another peel of laughter from Chloe. The elder cousin looked up to glare at her younger counterpart through the open door, a vicious smile barely remaining on her lips while the rest of her face scowled in irritation. “If this is so funny to you, Chloe, you can come help me find my missing earring.”

 

Maybe it was because Chloe had had to bring everything she wanted to wear from her dorm room, thus requiring more planning as to what she would wear, but she had been ready for the past half hour, waiting for her cousin. Deciding that she might as well help while she waited for Clark to pick them up, Chloe got up from the couch, stopping to look at herself in the mirror. She looked pretty damn good, if she said so herself. Her cropped hair was curled in loose ringlets and the pale pink fabric of the dress complemented her creamy skin, the chiffon skirt floating around her as she moved. It was simple without being too simple, the bodice of the sweetheart dress covered with a silver lace overlay the ended in an open back. Pair that with the silver stilettos Chloe needed to not be dwarfed by Lois in heels and her simple makeup, a pink lip and white and silver shimmery eyeshadow, Chloe thought she looked good.

 

“I’d date me.” She said with a reaffirming nod.

 

“Chloe, stop checking yourself out and help your cousin finish getting ready!” Lois yelled from her bedroom.

 

Chloe chuckled as she entered the mess of a room, wondering how Lois managed to make such a mess. The newly brunette Lois traipsed around her room, throwing various things out of her way in the search for her missing earring. Her newly chocolate tresses were piled up in a loose curly bun that almost looked like it was about to fall out as her cousin energetically looked for her earring. Chloe smiled as she took in the dress she had picked for her cousin. The dress suited Lois perfectly. There were loose straps hanging off her shoulders, connected to the thicker straps that held the dress up. The front of the dress dipped down between her breasts in a slight ‘v’, hinting at a bit of cleavage and perfectly complimenting the high slit that revealed part of Lois’ right leg. The skirt of the dress came out from an empire waist, ruching defining the waist with crossing strips of fabric across her ribcage. At first glance it looked like an ordinary, plain dress, except for the dip towards Lois’ cleavage, but as soon as Lois moved, the slit on her leg was revealed and the dress floated around her like Lois was walking on a cloud. A navy cloud, but a cloud nonetheless. Her makeup was more severe than Chloe’s, a golden smokey eye and sharp, black winged liner paired with ruby red lips, but it suited the elder girl.

 

Together, they made quite the pair.

 

Chloe was just about to aid in her cousin’s search when a quick knock on the door alerted them that Clark had arrived, giving Chloe a reprieve from joining the search party. “I’ll get it.” Chloe called out, even though she knew her cousin wasn’t listening to her unless Chloe said the words ‘found’ and ‘it’. 

 

“Hey, Chloe,” Clark grinned as she opened the door. “Sorry I’m early.”

 

“Oh, it’s no problem. I’ve been ready for the past half hour.” Chloe replied. “Lois on the other hand…”

 

“I heard that!” Lois called out indignantly from the bedroom. “I just need to find this damn earring and I’m ready to go.”

 

Chloe glanced at Clark, silently pleading with him to help Lois out. Rolling his eyes, Clark quickly used his x-ray vision to scan the apartment, smirking when the missing earring appeared on the couch, hidden by a few magazines. Walking over to the couch, Clark quickly removed the magazines to reveal a solitary gold dangly earring that presumably matched the one in Lois’ ear. 

 

“Lois,” Clark called out, “did you perhaps leave the earring out here?”

 

Lois stomped out of the room, her strappy golden heels clacking against the floor as the skirt of her dress flew back, giving credence to the angry storm that was brewing. “Why would I—“ Lois started to say, the words dying on her lips as she noticed Clark holding up a single earring. “My earring!” Lois exclaimed, quickly rushing over to secure it in her ear. “Thanks, Smallville.”

 

Clark frowned as he looked at Lois, doing his best not to look at the gold chain necklace that dipped down and drew attention to the cleavage shown by her dress. He may not ever want to date Lois, but he was male, and she was attractive. “Lois, what did you do to your hair?”

 

Lois sighed, sending a glare at Chloe as she answered. “Oh, this? This was Chloe’s idea. She thought that this dress would look better with my natural hair colour and thus, here we are. Don’t worry, I plan on dying it back as soon as humanely possible.”

 

“No!” Clark said too quickly, coughing into his hand in a vain attempt to cover his reaction. “I mean, I didn’t mean it looked bad, it looks good. You look beautiful.” He felt himself turning red, trying to keep from offending Lois. “I mean, you always look good but you look really good tonight, I mean, we are going to a ball, and you and Chloe must have put a lot of effort in because you both look amazing and—“

 

“Clark?” Chloe said, quirking an eyebrow. “Want me to hand you a ladder to get yourself out of the hole your in?”

 

Clark looked relieved at Chloe’s words, but Lois was enjoying watch Clark stumble through his explanation far too much to let this go now. “Oh, no,” Lois stated, “it’s his hole, he should get himself out of it.”

 

At that, Clark glared at Lois, refusing to let her bait him. “Okay, come on you two, let’s just get to this thing because the sooner we get there, the sooner I get to go home and get out of this monkey suit.”

 

~~~

 

Once they arrived at the ball, the three quickly went to the side of the event, Chloe immediately beginning to jot down notes for her story. Lois began to comment on various guests, making her guesses as to their backgrounds and what they were talking about. Against his better judgement, Clark laughed at her observations, which may have occasionally been a bit rude, but he had to admit, were accurate and funny.

 

“Oh, come on, Smallville, that guy totally brought her to impress her and she’s totally trying to hook up with his friend!” Lois exclaimed, gesticulating wildly towards where the three in observation stood.

 

“I just don’t think she could be that mean!” Clark protested.

 

“Clark, your endless optimism in the human race is endearing, but I’m a bit more qualified to talk to body language and the female mind then you are. And trust me, she’s totally hot for his friend. I mean look at that.”

 

Clark sighed as he looked over to where the girl stood. Okay so it did definitely look like she was more interested in the man on her left than the man who brought her. However, she could just be trying to get to know the other guy better. Clark was going to voice that to Lois when she was proven right though, the girl coyly resting her hand on his bicep, eyelashes fluttering before the man who was not her date brought her out to the dance floor.

 

“See?” Lois stated, pride in being correct obvious in her voice. “Totally called it.”

 

“Whatever, Lois.” Clark grumbled.

 

Chloe laughed as she joined in on their conversation. “Okay, not that I don’t enjoy listening to you two people watch, but I need to go get some quotes from actual guests. Don’t kill each other while I’m gone, okay?”

 

The pair stood awkwardly at the side of the dance floor, the disappearance of Chloe causing the atmosphere to rise in tension. Lois and Clark had steadfastly managed to avoid being alone in the same room together after their strange dreams, not that Lois knew about Clark’s dream, hoping to avoid any awkward situations. Their luck had seemingly run out however, and now they were stood together, alone at a ball, where every other guest except for Chloe was a good twenty years older.

 

“Why, you’re Martha Kent’s son!” A voice called out from across the room.

 

Both Clark and Lois turned their heads at the sound of Martha’s name, Clark’s eyes widening as he saw the wife of the senior senator rushing over to him sans husband. “Oh no.” Clark whispered under his breath, Lois raising an eyebrow at his utterance. “I met her at the Topeka Valentine’s day party,” he explained. “You know, the one you and my mom guilted me into attending. And she’s…”

 

“A cougar?” Lois supplied, already identifying that despite being married, the woman wasn’t about to not enjoy the company of handsome younger men.

 

“Clark! It’s me, Mrs. Sanderson! Oh, what a surprise to see you here!”

 

The woman practically threw herself at Clark, wrapping her arms around his torso and causing him to stumble back slightly. “Mrs. Sanderson!” Clark exclaimed with fake enthusiasm. “How nice to see you again.”

 

“This is the last place I expected to see you!”

 

The woman’s enthusiasm was wearing on Lois, the tacky sequinned gown and the garish eyeshadow not helping the situation. But Lois remained quiet, taking perverse pleasure in seeing Clark so obviously uncomfortable, despite trying to remain polite.

 

“Yeah…” Clark replied, carefully peeling the woman off of him and taking a step back towards Lois. “A friend of ours works for the Daily Planet and got a few extra tickets so she asked us to come along.”

 

“Oh, how splendid!” Mrs. Sanderson replied, clapping her hands together. “Have you danced yet, Clark? You really must, that’s the whole point of this evening.”

 

Seeing Clark’s indecision at being rude to the wife of his mother’s colleague or forcing himself to partake in however many dances with the woman in front of him, Lois decided to take mercy on the farm boy and stepped forward, offering her hand out. “Mrs. Sanderson, I’m Lois Lane, I was the Senator’s campaign manager. I’m not sure if we’ve ever met.”

 

Mrs. Sanderson looked taken aback at the appearance of a feminine hand from behind Clark, but quickly recovered, shaking Lois’ extended hand. “I don’t think we have. I don’t normally deal with anything involving elections however, so that must be why.”

 

“Probably.” Lois replied, a sickly sweet smile on her face that she reserved for dealing with politicians and their families. It was unfortunately a smile she had had to use quite often as the daughter of a three-star general. “However, I must apologise because Clark had promised me a dance right before you came over here, and they’re just about to start a new set. Excuse us.”

 

Clark gave Mrs. Sanderson a parting smile, placing his hand on the small of Lois’ back before guiding them out to the dance floor. Breathing a sigh of relief, he quickly placed Lois’ hand on his shoulder and gripped her other hand in his. Just as they were in position, the music started again and Clark quickly led them into the basic waltz step, thanking whatever higher power there was out there that he had always been a quick learner and was able to learn the dance by watching the others out on the dance floor.

 

“I’m impressed, Smallville, I didn’t think that you could dance, let alone waltz.” Lois commented, gazing around the room as she tried to ignore how it felt to be currently dancing with Clark, his hand on her back causing the bare skin there to tingle.

 

“There’s a lot about me you don’t know, Lois.” Clark replied, sighing with relief when he noticed that Mrs. Sanderson was now busy torturing someone else. “Thanks for saving me back there.”

 

“Clark, we may not get along all the time, but I wasn’t about to feed you to the lions, or in this case, a cougar. Besides, if I remember correctly, you owed me a dance.” Clark looked confused at her statement, causing Lois to roll her eyes before elaborating. “Prom? The whole body snatcher incidence?”

 

“If I remember correctly, Lois, I offered to dance with you and you turned me down.”

 

“What? I—“ Lois stopped her protestation, remembering Clark’s backwards way of offering to dance with her. “Well, all the better. This time I’m actually in a dress I like and I look like me.”

 

“Probably for the best then.” Clark smiled down at her before picking his gaze back up to watch where they were going.

 

Lois found herself smiling as Clark swept her around the dance floor. She felt absolutely weightless, like she was floating, and if she was completely honest with herself, a bit like a princess. Who knew that Clark Kent could dance so well?

 

Clark was slightly disturbed with how much he was enjoying himself. This was Lois. He never imagined that having her in his arms would feel so good, so right. But as he twirled her around the dance floor, her dress swirling out around her, Clark felt like the luckiest man in the room and he had the briefest thought about what it would feel like to kiss her. He quickly cleared his head of the traitorous thought, dismissing it as a side effect of his dream the other night. And then, a more harrowing thought occurred.

 

What if it was a side effect of the dream?

 

Lois watched as Clark stiffened and then relaxed in her arms, knowing that he must be feeling as confused as she currently did. She wasn’t sure why, but for some reason she had this feeling that Clark had had the dream as well. Call it instinct, call it whatever you want, Lois was certain that she wasn’t the only one who had had a strangely vivid dream the other night.

 

The dance ended and they left the dance floor, Clark guiding Lois out of the room and onto the balcony, one hand at her back while Lois tentatively gripped his elbow. Just like when they were at the museum, Lois was hit with the strangest sense of déjà vû. She had felt like she had done this before with Clark, the waltzing and the disappearing onto the balcony. Lois gave herself a mental shake, desperate to get the thought out of her head and hopefully prevent any more strange dreams.

 

“Lois?” Clark asked. “Are you okay?”

 

“What?” Lois asked, before realising that she had literally shaken her head. “No, yeah, I’m… I’m fine, Smallville. Do you just ever get hit with the strongest feeling that you’ve done something before? I mean, obviously we’ve never danced together before tonight, but I don’t know. It just feels so…”

 

“Familiar?” Clark finished, drawing his eyes up from the street below to meet Lois’ gaze.

 

“Yeah.” Lois’ voice was raspy as she spoke, staring into Clark’s eyes and being once again reminded of the rare sapphire earrings in the exhibit.“Exactly.”

 

“It’s probably just because we spend too much time together.” Clark supplied, hoping that the excuse would calm them both.

 

Lois nodded in agreement, hoping along with Clark that this feeling didn’t mean that they were both about to have some very strange dreams tonight.


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victorian England

 

**1790**

**London, England**

 

Louisa stared straight ahead as she heard herself introduced, taking measured steps down the grand staircase as she heard the final part of her entirely too long name. Louisa, full name Lady Louisa Charlotte Katherine Ainsworth-Lane, was thankfully not the focus of the night, the night being her elder’s brother’s engagement soiree. However, as the daughter of a Lord, Louisa was expected to remain incredibly poised and impress the various guests with her ‘superior’ breeding.

 

It was exhausting, these events, for that reason.

 

She was not the girl that her father wished for. It had been a source of amusement when she was younger for her father, her stubborn and independent nature. However, when those traits did not die out as she grew older and was debuted to society, her father’s amusement quickly turned to frustration. It was no secret that he wished for his daughter to find a husband, and Louisa knew that if she did not find one soon, her father would play his hand.

 

Tonight, Louisa was granted a slight reprieve from the pestering, the ball being about her brother and his fiancée, taking the pressure off of his younger sister. And that, Louisa was incredibly thankful for.

 

“Louisa, darling!” Her brother, Viscount Samuel Anthony James Ainsworth-Lane the third, called over to her, a smile on his face and his right hand placed delicately over his fiancée’s. His fiancée was a nice woman who got along well with Louisa, despite the strain of Louisa’s father constantly telling her to be more like her brother’s fiancée. To be more shy, more proper.

 

“Samuel.” Louisa let herself give a small smile as she greeted her brother, taking note of the handsome man who stood next to him before placing her gaze back on Samuel. “I hope this evening is going as planned.”

 

“Everything is going wonderfully. As soon as Father has had a few more drinks I’ve requested that the band play a few of those waltzes that have come out of Vienna.”

 

Louisa hid her shock at her brother’s desire to waltz, a dance that while becoming increasingly popular, was still shrouded in controversy due to requiring the dancers to touch in places that many did not consider appropriate for an unmarried coupling. But, it was Louisa’s brother and he had the same independent spirit as her. If he wanted to waltz, then he would waltz, controversy be damned.

 

“Oh, forgive me!” Samuel exclaimed. “It appears that I’m so lost in my own happiness that I’ve been a terrible host. Louisa, meet my friend Captain Clark Edwards of the Royal Navy. Clark, meet my sister, Lady Louisa.”

 

The tall man carefully grabbed Louisa’s proffered hand and placed a chaste kiss on it, his turquoise eyes sparkling devilishly as he greeted her. “The pleasure is mine, my Lady.”

 

Louisa yanked her hand back as politely as possible, trying to ignore the lingering tingle where his lips had brushed against her. “Captain.” She greeted curtly. “Pray tell how you and my brother met, for knowing our father, I cannot imagine that Samuel was allowed to visit the ship yards.”

 

Samuel cringed at his sister’s words, relief flooding his features as Clark laughed at the insinuation of Louisa’s words. This was why he had introduced them. While he knew that their father would never entertain the idea of allowing his sister to marry his friend, for tonight Clark would keep Louisa company and Samuel wouldn’t have to worry about his silver-tongued sister insulting him.

 

“No, from what I know of Count Ainsworth-Lane the second I cannot imagine that he would. Samuel and I met at a meeting of parliament that I was attending with my guardian, Lord Ashford.”

 

At that moment, any of Louisa’s hopes of having found someone who she could see herself happy with vanished. Clark was a ward, and even though he probably was awarded a fair amount of privilege due to who his guardian was, he was not of royal blood. And Louisa’s father would never entertain the idea of her marrying outside of royalty, no matter how high-ranking.

 

Recovering from her disappointment quickly, Louisa quipped back at the Captain, telling herself that even if she could not wed him, she could at least enjoy his company. “Well, that certainly makes much more sense. I was wondering how a sailor such as yourself met my well-bred brother.”

 

Clark laughed again as Samuel quietly excuse himself and his fiancée. “You are quite the interesting woman, Lady Louisa.”

 

“Louisa, please.”

 

The two continued chatting and Clark found himself bewitched by his friend’s sister. It was true that Louisa was a beautiful woman, her skin creamy and her locks a rich shade of brown that shone when the light caught it. However, what enraptured Clark was how she spoke to him. He could see much of her brother’s spirit in Louisa and it pained Clark to know how much grief that spirit had likely caused her.

 

It was then that Clark decided that it was his duty to make her happy, even if for only one night. Seizing the opportunity as he heard the musicians begin a waltz, he extended his hand to Louisa and was delighted when she accepted his offer to dance.

 

Louisa’s heart was pounding as Clark led her onto the dance floor, his hand clasping hers as he led them into position, his left hand resting on her back, his thumb just grazing the skin of her upper back that was revealed by her dress. While she had had the opportunity to waltz a few times, normally with a suitor of her father’s choosing, Louisa had never waltzed with a man as handsome as Clark.

 

Clark was a strong lead, guiding Louisa elegantly across the dance floor in fluid movements. Their eyes met as Clark turned them around, hazel meeting blue and causing Clark’s breath to catch in his throat while Louisa felt her stomach roll at the intensity of his gaze. They did not break eye contact for the remainder of the waltz, Clark reluctantly letting Louisa out of his arms and bowing to her as the dance ended.

 

“Thank you, my lady, for the pleasure of that dance.”

 

Louisa, however, refused that that would be the end of their evening together. Quickly glancing around for her father, Louisa sighed in relief when she did not see him. “Please, Captain, it would be my honour if you joined me for some air. I fear it is getting rather warm in here.”

 

A grin broke out on Clark’s face at her bold words and he gladly extended his arm towards her, his grin extending even wider as she delicately placed her gloved hand on his elbow and allowed him to lead her to the balcony. Once they were alone, Clark turned towards Louisa, watching as she stared at him curiously.

 

“You are unlike any man I have ever met, Captain Edwards.”

 

“And you are unlike any woman I have ever met, Lady Louisa. It is a shame that I leave for sea so soon.”

 

“You are leaving? For how long?”

 

“Six months, I am afraid. It is my duty as a Captain in the Royal Navy.” Clark face was grim as he told her the lie, knowing that he was actually going home, back to Krypton where it was feared that a civil war was on the brink of breaking out. However, no matter how enchanting Louisa was, he could not explain to her about where he truly came from and how it was imperative for him to return home as a member of a ruling family.

 

“Well, then I shall just have to wait for your return then to be graced with more of your company.”

 

“Louisa,” Clark’s voice was gentle, as if he was soothing a startled horse, “I’m sure that you have heard the rumours pertaining to your hand.”

 

Louisa sighed, fighting the urge to stomp her feet and shout that it wasn’t fair. She had finally met a man who she could speak freely around and even he had heard of her father’s plans to marry her to a never-married Duke almost twice her age. “I can refuse.”

 

“And you know your father would ignore you. He would never allow you to wed me when he has a Duke in mind for your hand. Believe me, when your brother and I first met, he did try to convince your father. But unfortunately, his pleas fell on deaf ears.” He admitted, fighting to hold in a sigh. It didn’t matter that Clark had to return home. Even if Clark was able to remain on Earth, there was not a chance for Louisa to find happiness with him.

 

“I finally meet a man who I can speak my mind to and it has been ensured that we can never be. Did God get bored up in heaven and decide to play with my heart?” Louisa was becoming more impassioned as she spoke, not caring that if anyone overheard her sharp words she would be in for a world of trouble.

 

Clark went to speak, but quickly fell silent as the dark figure of Count Ainsworth-Lane the second approached them. “Evening, Count Lane.” Clark reluctantly greeted, straightening himself so that he towered over the shorter man. His evening with Louisa would now be drawing to a bittersweet end, but at least Clark could have the pleasure of knowing that he intimidated her father; Had since they had first met at that fateful parliament meeting. The Count had looked down on his guardian for taking on a ward and for giving him minimal titles and riches, unaware of the unusual circumstances in which the decision to take guardianship over a strange, adult man and fabricate a history for him took place.

 

Lord Ashford was a member of a secret society known as Veritas, which knew of the existence of Krypton and helped Kryptonians on their passages to Earth blend in with society and create a personal history for them. Clark smirked as he wondered what the Count would say if he knew that Clark was not just a Captain, and was, in fact, a prince on Krypton. ‘Oh, how the tables would turn.’ Clark thought.

 

“Captain Edwards.” The Count was brief in his greeting, the underling tone icy. Clark gripped the Count’s hand firmly as they shook hands, allowing just a bit of his hidden strength to show through and intimidate the Count a bit further. It was petty of him, he knew, but he hated how the Count tried to make him feel small. And after meeting Louisa, he hated how he treated his daughter as nothing more than a bartering chip when she had so much more to offer the world.

 

The Count subtly shook his hand to help with the pain as he withdrew it from Clark’s grip, turning to face his daughter as he spoke. “Unfortunately, my daughter has more important things to be doing at the moment then to be spending the night in idle chatter with a naval officer. Louisa, the Duke is waiting.”

 

Louisa fought the urge to ignore her father’s words as she bid goodbye to Clark, knowing that she would probably never see him again. It was a cruel world, Louisa decided as she walked towards the Duke she would probably have to marry. She could feel Clark’s eyes boring into her retreating figure as she walked away, gentling sighing as she realised that he was feeling the same twisted emotions as she was.

 

If only they existed in a time where love came before duty.

 

It was her wedding day when Louisa received the news from her brother that Clark’s ship had sunk off of the Cape of Good Hope. The news had put Louisa in a more melancholy mood than she already was, her face set in a thin line as she fought tears for the man she loved, even if he wasn’t the man who was her betrothed. The Duke knew that Louisa didn’t love him, but he did not care. All he cared about was her bearing him children; Preferably sons.

 

When he heard of the fate of Captain Edwards he slapped her face hard enough to sting but not hard enough to bruise, warning her that she would not shed any tears on their wedding day. Louisa, now a duchess, resigned herself to her fate. She was stuck in a loveless marriage with a man old enough to be her father and Clark was at the bottom of the sea. There was no hope anymore, no hope that Clark would return and steal her away in the dark of the night, away from the depressed life she found herself living.

 

Her brother watched as the light died out of his sister’s eyes, wishing for nothing more than to tell her the truth that Clark had confided in him on the eve before his departure. Clark had wished to marry his sister, if only it was possible for him to remain on Earth. He had explained, that if there wasn’t a civil war brewing on his planet, he would have gladly remained and fought for Louisa’s hand. But as a prince, Clark’s duty was to his people.

 

It was a cruel world they lived in, and the younger Samuel thanked God that he was lucky enough to find love. Glancing at where his pregnant wife stood by his side, he promised that he would do everything in his power to keep his sister happy from afar. And once the elderly Duke died, he would take Louisa and whatever children she had into his home.

 

Clark had told him that his people believed in reincarnation, and while Samuel himself did not believe so, he hoped for his sister’s sake that it was true. That somehow, she and Clark would reincarnate and find each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shit's about to get interesting.


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lois confronts Clark about the dreams.

 

“Okay, that’s it!” Lois yelled as she jolted awake. It was only three in the morning, but Lois didn’t care. She and a certain farm boy were going to have a little talk. There was no way that only Lois was experiencing these. Clark had to be having them too. The very vivid dream she just had of someone named Louisa who looked vaguely like her and that person who not only was named Clark, but once again had those same damn eyes that not only now haunted her in dreamland, but in real life as well. And well, that just proved to Lois that something weird was going on and it involve both of them.

 

Not caring that she was still in her cupcake flannel pyjamas and her bunny slippers, Lois grabbed her keys and stomped down to her car, determined that she and Clark were going to talk about the dreams and they were going to figure out what the hell was going on. Lois couldn’t handle one more damn dream where Clark was her knight in shining armour.

 

“Clark!” Lois shrieked as she got out of her car after reaching the quiet farmhouse. “Clark, wake the hell up, we have some things to talk about!”

 

Clark groaned as he heard Lois pound her way up the stairs, her shouting and angry footsteps breaking the once tranquil atmosphere of the farm. He knew what this was about. Based on how he had woken up, his heart clenching at the idea of Lois being forced into a marriage with a man twice her age, he rightfully guessed that Lois had had the same dream that he had.

 

No wonder dancing with her, _waltzing_ with her, earlier that evening had felt so familiar, so right.

 

“Good morning, Lois.” Clark grumbled as he rolled over and tried to ignore the light that Lois had turned on.

 

Lois huffed. “Oh no, you aren’t going back to bed, Clark. Up we go!” Lois yelled, ripping the covers off of Clark and pausing when she noticed that he was only wearing a pair of boxers.

 

“Lois?” Clark asked, following her gaze to his naked chest. “Lois, are you all right there?”

 

Lois ripped her eyes from his chest, mentally scolding herself for being caught. It wasn’t like she had never seen Clark shirtless before. After all, she did live with him for quite a while. “Yeah, no, I don’t know. These dreams that we’ve been having a playing a number on me.”

 

“What—“ Clark started to deny, only to be quieted by Lois placing a hand over his mouth.

 

“I don’t want to hear it, Smallville. Don’t ask me how, but I know that you’re having these same weird dreams that I am. And we’re going to figure out what the hell they mean before I lose any more sleep over them.”

 

Clark sighed as he got out of bed, rubbing his hands over his face in an attempt to wake himself up. “Okay, let’s talk." He relented. "But we’re going to need coffee.”

 

Lois and Clark sat quietly in the kitchen with their freshly brewed coffee, neither knowing what to say. Apparently, Lois’ plan only extended as far as waking Clark up, and Clark would rather be trying to go back to bed right about now. Glancing across the table at a still silent Clark, Lois let out a disgruntled sigh as she ran her fingers through her hair. She was going to have to start this; Otherwise they’d be sitting here until the next dream hit.

 

“Okay, so the first dream was brought on by those earrings in the museum. The second was brought on by the ball and waltzing.” Lois stated, wracking her brains for any similarities between the situations.

 

“And the only similarities are the fact that we were both there and that we are the ones in these dreams. Whatever the hell they are.”

 

“There has to be something else.” She insisted. “I mean, I’ve never had dreams like this before.”

 

“I have.” Clark confided before quickly realising his mistake. Lois was now staring at him intensely with the same look she got when she was talking to her father’s troops. It was the same look she used to intimidate someone, all while figuring out how to best get them to comply to her wishes.

 

Lois was a pitbull on a pant leg when she wanted to be, and currently, that pant leg was Clark.

 

“Spill.” Her voice was serious, all signs of how malcontent she was at the moment disappearing as she focused her energy on Clark.

 

“I mean, sort of.” He replied, staring intensely at the grain pattern of the table. “I’ve had dreams that have come true before and I’ve had… Well, I guess they’d be called daydreams about the past, not my past specifically, but the past. And they were really realistic.”

 

Lois was silent for a minute as she thought, her head snapping up as it made a connection. “Like that dream you had before your graduation?”

 

Clark nodded numbly, knowing what conclusion Lois was drawing to at the moment. “So it looks like I’m the common link.”

 

“But then how the hell did I get involved in all of this?”

 

“I’m not… I’m not sure.” His voice was hesitant, something in the back of his mind telling him that it had to do with his days as Kal-El and the fateful day where he met Lois, stark naked in a cornfield with no memory of his human life. Clark let his head drop onto the table, for once wishing that he had a more clear memory of what had happened after his biological father released him from the matrix.

 

“Jesus, Smallville, weird shit follows you like the plague and now I’ve gotten sucked into it.” Lois stated, going to pour herself another cup of coffee. She turned around, analysing how distressed Clark looked as he hunched over the kitchen table, hands pulling at his hair. “Maybe we should research it. Like, look at different interpretations on dreams and their meanings and stuff.”

 

“I might know someone who can help.” Clark reluctantly supplied.

 

“Really?” Lois asked eagerly. “When can we see them?”

 

“I’ll go and see them later today. If the trip’s fruitful, I’ll tell you.”

 

“Clark, I’m not going to sit around on my ass while you go and visit this person. Let me come with you.”

 

“No, Lois. You’re not coming with me.” Lois’ eyes widened at Clark’s tone. In their entire friendship, she had never seen him so forceful, so resolute. At least, not with her. Chloe joked that Clark let Lois walk all over him, and while that wasn’t necessarily true, Clark never stood up to her like he was now. He normally gave her some sort of half-baked excuse. He had never just said no before. The tone of his voice had a strong undercurrent of unquestionable authority, instantly reminding Lois of growing up on base, her father shouting out orders to subordinates. It was a new side to Clark; A side that could easily be a force to be reckoned with, if only he had the confidence.

 

“Okay…” Lois said slowly. “Well, if I can’t come with you, can you at least tell me who you’re going to see?”

 

Clark pulled his hands out of his hair and turned to look at where Lois leaned against the counter. He eyed her cautiously, wondering if she should know the truth. Clark settled on the half truth, thinking that that would satisfy Lois for the time being. “I’m going to see my biological father.”

 

“Your… Your biological father?” Lois asked in disbelief. “When did you find your biological father?”

 

“A few years ago, I don’t really talk about it.” Clark answered, his face contorting into an odd mixture of distrust, fear and relief. “I mean, Chloe knows and Mom does, but he and I don’t really have the best of relationships.”

 

“I can only imagine.” Lois spoke quietly, unsure what words were welcome now that Clark had revealed something so private only two other people knew. She was dying to ask why she hadn’t heard about something as momentous as finding his biological father, but managed to keep her mouth shut. Lois knew that if she opened her mouth it would lead to the release of the barrage of questions she felt bubbling underneath her skin. But pouncing on Clark would only shut him down, so Lois chose her next words carefully, understanding the delicate nature of the situation. “You don’t have to go to him if you don’t want to, Clark.” She finally said. “You and I are pretty resourceful, we can figure this out ourselves.”

 

“As much as I would like that, my biological father is sadly our best bet. I’ll come find you after I go and see him, okay?”

 

“Okay.” Lois replied as she looked at Clark, a million unspoken words portrayed as clear as day on his face. He never was good at hiding his emotions. “I’ll do some research on my end about dreams just in case.” There was a pause before Lois spoke again as she weighed each word deliberately, wondering how Clark would react to them. “Thanks for doing this, Clark. Hopefully we get the answers we need. I’ll let you get back to sleep now. Night, Smallville.”

 

“Night, Lois. And can we wait until it’s actually daylight outside next time you decide to be my alarm clock?”

 

“Cute, farm boy, real cute. Next time, I’ll wake up you with a bucket of ice water.” Lois glared before turning around to leave, understanding that Clark needed their normal banter to help him pretend that everything was okay. ‘Clark Kent’ she thought as she gave one last look at Clark’s silhouette through the kitchen window, ‘the mystery that keeps getting deeper.’

 

~~~

 

Clark woke up for the second time that day after a mercilessly dreamless sleep and wished for something, anything to delay his visit to Jor-El. He hadn’t been to the fortress since his father had passed, and Clark didn’t want to go now. It was only the fact that he had told Lois and that she was expecting him to come back with some sort of answer that he was going to go. Clark’s life had always been weird, he’d learned to deal with it. But Lois, she didn’t deserve to be plagued by weird dreams that were probably because of him. Besides, she was holding him accountable for going to visit Jor-El and if Clark lied and said that Jor-El didn’t know what was going on, Lois would get it out of him. She always knew when he was lying and Clark didn’t want to face the wrath of a sleep-deprived Lois Lane. Especially if the way she appeared at his house this morning was any indication of the current state of her temper.

 

“Clark?” Chloe called out as she entered the farmhouse, curious as to why she didn’t see Clark out in the barn already.

 

Grumbling, Clark pushed himself out of bed and threw on some clothes. “Coming, Chloe!”

 

“Did you just wake up?” Chloe asked, looked at her friend’s disheveled appearance curiously. “What did you guys have another dream?”

 

Clark nodded his confirmation as he went to the fridge, hoping for and successfully finding a remaining slice of his mother’s pie. When all else failed, there was always the comforting home cooking of Martha Kent to fortify him for the day to come. “Well, there was another dream. But it was more Lois’ three in the morning wake-up call via coming over here and demanding that we talk about the dreams that’s getting me behind schedule.”

 

Chloe chuckled, imaging how her cousin would have entered the farmhouse at three in the morning. If she had to guess, she’d say that Lois came in screaming, still wearing her pyjamas, which were anything but threatening. However, a furious Lois was frightening, even if she was wearing bunny slippers. “I guess that explains why she responded to my phone call with ‘can’t talk, doing research in the library.’ ”

 

“Yeah, she’s looking up stuff about dream interpretation. I’m going north.”

 

“Does Lois know where you’re going or…”

 

“She’s knows that I’m going to see my biological father for some answers. I mentioned my history of vivid daydreams and prophetic dreams, some of which she knew, and we figured that while it’s happening to both of us, I’m the common denominator. So, I’m going to the fortress to ask Jor-El.”

 

Blinking rapidly at the new information that was just thrown at her, Chloe took a moment to process what those few sentences taught her. One, while Clark didn’t exactly tell Lois about himself, he did tell her about his biological father, something he had never even told Lana. And Chloe knew Clark, if he didn’t want to tell Lois, he wouldn’t have. He also told her, in minimal words, about the visions that he had gotten from Jor-El’s memory pendent. For whatever reason, Clark was trusting Lois with information he hasn’t trusted Lana with, the girl he had loved since he was five.

 

Chloe shook her head. Whatever Clark was trusting Lois with was his call. He was probably slowly adjusting to the idea that in order to explain to Lois what was going on, he might have to divulge a bit of personal information, if not his most kept secret. “Okay.” She finally said. “Keep me updated on how its goes?”

 

“Of course,” Clark nodded as he continued eating his pie. “So what did you come over here for, Chloe?”

 

“Oh, right! Um…” Chloe pursed her lips, wondering the exact way to phrase her news. “Okay, so nothing is official and you guys are broken up—“

 

“Lana’s seeing someone?” Clark guessed as he leaned up against the counter, finished with eating. “I hope she’s happy.”

 

“I think she’s seeing Lex, Clark. They’ve been doing that whole astronomy thing and she’s not out and saying it, but she’s not exactly denying that they’re seeing each other either.”

 

Clark’s jaw tightened as he took in that piece of information. As much as he hated the idea of Lana getting ensnared in the Luthor web of lies and manipulation, he knew that Lana wouldn’t exactly appreciate her ex-boyfriend warning her off of a new one. “She’s allowed to date whoever she wants to, Chloe. I find it ironic that the girl who hated my secrets is now dating a Luthor, but she’s allowed to do whatever she wants to do. We broke up. And frankly, I have a lot on my mind right now with Brainiac and these dreams Lois and I keep having. I don’t need to worry about Lana as well. I wish she wasn’t with Lex, but Lana’s a big girl and she can make her own decisions.”

 

Once again, Clark shocked Chloe, making her blink rapidly as if the movement helped her process information more efficiently. Whatever these dreams were, they were causing Clark to look at things in a whole new light, even if he didn’t realise that he was doing so. “Well, I just wanted you to hear it from me instead of from some stranger.”

 

“Thanks, Chloe, you’re a good friend.”

 

Chloe paused as she debated asking Clark where this new approach to dealing with Lana came from. Based on the detached finality she had picked up from him however, she decided to drop the subject for the time being. Well, at least until the mystery surrounding the dreams was resolved. Giving a half-hearted smile, Chloe picked up her keys and glanced at the door. “You’re welcome, Clark. Keep me updated on the whole dream situation?”

 

“As soon as Lois and I know what’s going on, we’ll let you know.”

 

Clark sighed as Chloe’s car pulled out of the driveway. He could never seem to catch a break. First, there was the constant threat of Brainiac. Then, there was the dreams and what they meant. On top of that, Clark had to not only deal with his rapidly changing feelings regarding Lois, unsure if they were changing because of the dreams or if the dreams were simply opening his eyes to what was always there. Now, Chloe had just told him that Lana was getting in bed with the devil. 

 

Clark wished that his life was normal, even if it was just for one day, only to hear the words of his father echoing in his head. ‘Son,’ his father would always say, ‘we’re only given the burdens that we can handle. Whatever life throws at you, know that no matter how impossible it seems at the time, you will come out the other side victorious.’

 

His father’s words bringing him resolution, Clark steeled himself for the meeting with Jor-El. All the difficulties that life was throwing at him, he had to believe that he could handle them. If his parents could adopt and raise an alien and love the child completely, no questions asked, then he could face the various problems in his life. Starting with his relationship with his biological father.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jor-El enlightens Clark about the purpose of the dreams.

The whipping winds attempting to sting his impermeable cheeks whistled around him, coming to an abrupt stop when Clark entered the crystal palace that housed the essence of Jor-el. Immediately sensing his presence, the fortress lit up, warm beams of light radiating out of the crystal structures.

 

“My son,” the voice boomed, “you have returned.”

 

“Jor-El, I have a question for you.” Clark yelled aimlessly towards the interior of the structure.

 

“This is regarding the dreams that I have sent you and Lois Lane.”

 

His eyes widened in shock and his muscles tensed, understanding that once again his father was interfering in his life. And it wasn’t just his life anymore, it was Lois’ as well. “Why are you doing this? What are these dreams?”

 

“They are memories of your previous lives, Kal-El.” Clark let out a shout of disbelief, shaking his head furiously as he struggled to believe what the A.I. was telling him. It wasn’t as if Clark didn’t have his fair share of experience with the unexplainable. Hell, he was an alien sent to Earth from several galaxies away. But past lives? That was stretching it, even for Clark.

 

Somehow sensing his son’s disbelief, Jor-El calmly continued, “I have sent you and Lois Lane memories of your previous lives in order for you, my son, to realise her importance to you. You will need her by your side if you are to effectively deal with Brainiac when he decides to act.”

 

“Lois is my friend.” Clark replied, his voice dripping with barely contained anger. “She doesn’t deserve to be dragged into whatever game you are playing with me.”

 

“Lois Lane is more than just a friend, Kal-El. In every lifetime, she has been there to help you realise your full potential, the loss of her every time destroying you.”

 

“But why are you giving her these dreams? Why bring her into this if it’s me that needs the lesson?”

 

If it was possible, Clark swore he almost heard the bodiless voice sigh. “Kryptonians believe in reincarnation, my son, and the importance of soulmates. You would know this if you would have begun your training.”

 

“What are you trying to say? That Lois is my soulmate? Lois?”

 

“Yes.”

 

The answer was concise, but it sent Clark’s head spinning. Lois, stubborn, bossy, opinionated Lois, was his soulmate? Clark had loved Lana for as long as he could remember. And as much as he had learned to appreciate Lois’ more brash qualities, he couldn’t imagine being with her the way he imagined being with Lana. “No. No, I don’t believe you.”

 

“It is true. I would not be able to project these memories onto her if she was not your soulmate, my son. These memories are to help you to understand her importance in your life, just as the memories I am sending her are for her to understand your importance in her life. You both must understand your place with one another for you to be strong enough to deal with Brainiac.”

 

If it was possible for Clark to pass out from hyperventilating, he was certain that he would have by now. His breathing was harsh and jerky, the shallow movements causing the room to spin around him. “Lois is… Lois is… She’s annoying and bossy and argumentative and careless and…”

 

“As well as loyal, intelligent, strong and brave.” Jor-El added, finishing the thought that he knew his son would not finish.

 

Clark breathed in deeply, trying to calm himself before a memory of Lois lying on her kitchen floor in a puddle of water jolted to the front of his mind. In a moment of clarity, Clark all of a sudden saw evidence for what Jor-El was telling him. His father had said that he would lose someone he loved in return for coming back from the dead. When he saved Lana from dying, he had almost lost Lois before finally losing his father. “I almost lost her that day, the day that I lost Dad.” Even if he wasn’t ready to admit how much she meant to him until it was being thrusted into his face by his father, Clark knew. If asked before this moment, he would never have said that he loved the sometimes abrasive girl, but now he wasn’t sure. Somewhere, deep inside him, he must love her. Why else would she have almost died in his place? 

 

“What do I do?” Clark pleaded, hoping for once that his father’s essence took pity on him. “Please, help me. What do I need to do?”

 

“Every action has its consequence, my son. I warned you about the dangers of the crystals falling into the wrong hands, and in turn Brainiac has arrived on Earth. I warned you of the need for a life for a life, and that if you turned back time, someone else would die.”

 

“I don’t need you to rehash my mistakes! I’m asking you to help me so that I don’t make more. You’re my father! You’re supposed to help me!”

 

“I am nothing more than a collection of Jor-El’s knowledge, Kal-El. I cannot tell you what to do, but I can give you the information you need to make the next decision. For now, I will continue to send you and Lois Lane memories of your previous lives so that you understand the importance of each other.”

 

Resigned, Clark tried one last time to get information out of his father. “Can you at least tell me what Brainiac is planning?”

 

“It is my belief that Brainiac will try to bring my enemy, General Zod, to Earth, where he will destroy this world as he destroyed Krypton. This is why it is imperative that you have Lois Lane by your side earlier than destiny had originally planned. When you were released from the matrix, you were drawn to her, subconsciously understanding her importance to you. Fate designed for Lois to be the one to find you, even if you would not realise the importance of each other for many more years. However, due to the possible consequences of Brainiac’s plans, I have sped up destiny’s plans.

 

“She is the one you will need, Kal-El, just as you are the one she will need. She will have the strength to stand by your side as you fulfil your destiny as protector of this world.” Jor-El’s voice ended with a final boom, signifying that no more would be said on the manner.

 

“Protector?” Clark muttered to himself as he sped out of the fortress. Jor-el had always used the word rule when he talked about Clark’s destiny. He grumbled to himself as he slowed to a stop in the alley behind the Talon. If Jor-El had used the word protector from the beginning, maybe he wouldn’t have reacted so strongly against his so-called destiny. Being a protector didn’t sound bad, it didn’t sound evil. Who knew how different Clark’s life could have been if he made different decisions. Maybe his dad would still be alive. Hell, maybe Clark would have gotten over Lana a long time ago and would already be with Lois. That was one thing that seemed to be an unchanging part of Clark’s destiny. No matter who else would come and go, Jor-El was certain that Lois would remain.

 

Soulmates. That’s what he said they were. Clark had always wanted to believe in them, wanted to believe that there was someone out there for him, even as the lone survivor of a planet long destroyed. He just couldn’t believe that that person was Lois. 

 

She drove him crazy, especially when the first met. She’d insult him and compliment him in the same breath and left him unsure which way was up and which way was down. He had never met a women like her, a woman so strong and independent that Clark wasn’t sure where he stood with her. With Lana, and even to a certain extent Chloe, Clark had always been this larger than life hero. But Lois didn’t look at him that way. She saw what he did and she thanked him, but made it clear that she was fine on her own. And despite the way that they had met and all the weird, unexplainable instances since then, Lois had never once looked at him with suspicion. She accepted him, quirks and all. She was the only other person in his life, besides his mother, who did that. Maybe she didn’t know all the facts at the moment, but she would soon. There was no way Clark was going to be able to explain reincarnation without explaining what exactly he was and the strangeness that was his life.

 

He just hoped that she would handle everything as well as Jor-El seemed to think that she, his soulmate, would. Because apparently, the fate of the world rested on him and Lois being together and stopping Brainiac.

 

Clark groaned halfway up the stairs to Lois’ apartment. Yeah, that wouldn’t freak Lois out at all. ‘Apparently we’re soulmates and those dreams are scenes from our past lives. By the way, I’m an intergalactic traveler and since I went against my father’s wishes there’s an alien supercomputer roaming around disguised as a human who plans to release the man who destroyed my home planet onto this one. Oh, and apparently it’s up to us to stop it from happening.’

 

Yeah, that wouldn’t freak Lois out at all.

 

“Smallville?” Lois asked, poking her head out the door of her apartment. “I thought I heard the familiar sound of you moping.”

 

“Hi, Lois.” Clark replied glumly as he stepped inside her apartment, eyes fixating on the large piles of paper that were spread out on her coffee table. “I’m guessing that’s the fruit of your labour?”

 

Lois grimaced as she looked at the messy heap. “Yeah, I’m still trying to make sense of it all.” That was a lie. Everything that Lois had read about dream interpretation was pointing to the idea that she and Clark were in love, or something along the lines. And Lois didn’t exactly want to bring that up. Not unless she had to. “Judging from the groan I heard earlier, I take it that things didn’t go too well with your biological father.”

 

“Actually,” Clark replied, “he was surprisingly forthcoming. I just don’t know how to tell you what he told me.”

 

“At this point, Clark, I just want an explanation as to why we’ve gotten these dreams and what they mean. They’re driving me crazy.”

 

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that, it’s sorta my fault. Well, not really because I didn’t have a say in this, but it’s because of me and who I am and some bad decisions I made in the past that this is happening to us.” He rubbed the back of his neck as Lois whipped her head up to look at him, eyes narrowing in suspicious determination.

 

Her voice was sharp as she spoke, uncompromising. “Clark, what the hell are you talking about? How is this your fault, but not your fault? In fact, how could it even be sorta your fault?”

 

Clenching and unclenching his fists, Clark decided to just bite the bullet and get it over with. Rolling his head in a circle to brace himself to meet her unflinching gaze, he spoke. “Lois, do you believe in reincarnation?”

 

Lois’ eyes went wide as she gasped in disbelief, intuitively understanding what Clark was trying to tell her. Mouth gaping open like a fish, she opened and closed it several times before she was able to speak. “Clark,” she spoke carefully, one hand on her hip as the other rubbed her temple, a weak attempt at composing herself after her impersonation of a fish out of water. It was taking all of her considerable will-power to remain calm and not freak out at the idea of reincarnation being real. “Are you trying to tell me that these dreams you and I have been having are actually memories from past lives? And what’s with the starring roles, what are you, my soulmate or something? Now those are real too?”

 

The stricken look that flooded Clark’s face at her last words answered all of her questions. Hands falling limply to her sides, Lois stumbled backwards until her legs hit the edge of the couch and her knees buckled, causing her to sit on the couch with a resounding thud. “Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my fucking God.”

 

“Lois,” Clark approached her hesitantly, sitting down next to her on the couch. “Lois, let me explain.”

 

He didn’t have a chance to explain however, because the moment he placed his hand on her shoulder in what was meant to be a comforting gesture, their worlds went black.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Civil War Era America

 

**1858**

**Virginia, United State of America**

 

If Louise’s father ever found out about this, she’d be a dead woman walking. That, Louise was certain of. As not only a daughter of the South, but the daughter of a wealthy plantation owner, the last thing that Louise was supposed to be doing was participating in the underground railroad. However, any qualms that she may have had regarding her illicit activities being discovered were quickly quashed when she thought about the horrors of the life of a slave.

 

As a child, Louise was allowed to play with some of the slave children, only to be separated as soon as she began to learn the duties of a woman of her station. However, Louise’s bond with the slaves she grew up with and the house maids who looked after her as a child never wavered. And as the distance between the quality of life she experienced and the quality of life they experienced grew, the more outraged Louise had become. How could her father treat the slaves, human beings, like he did? How did the colour of their skin make them a lesser person?

 

She had heard whispers about the underground railroad in town, her small Virginian town ripe with the budding conflict between the Northern and Southern states, as well as the moral issue of slavery. As a woman, she easily blended into the store fronts, gleaning information from passing men on the current state of the union. It was when she heard that people were required on the Southern side to help smuggle slaves north that Louise decided to act.

 

It was treacherous work, housing runaway slaves in a small, forgotten shed to the far side of the property and helping the occasional slave from her farm escape; All while ensuring that the escapes appeared to be at random. She was good at what she did, however. As a well-to-do woman in the South, she was granted certain privileges, one of those privileges being that people rarely questioned what she was doing. The states may not have had official royalty, but for the small Virginian town, Louise’s family was about as close to royalty as they came.

 

That was how she ended up in her current situation, sneaking out of the house, careful to avoid the squeaky floorboards, gas lantern in hand to help the most recent batch of hidden runaways escape to freedom. The plantation wasn’t located far from the border, and it would not take long to get them to the next safe house.

 

The lantern illuminated her delicate features, the stress of her work marring her otherwise flawless face. If the price to pay for fighting for what was right and for freeing other people from a cruel life was early wrinkles however, Louise was glad to pay the price.

 

It was on the way home from the most recent drop off where trouble truly began to brew. Everything had gone smoothly, without even as much as a scare, and now Louise was slowly picking her way through the woods, knowing that she needed to be home before morning light. She wasn’t expecting a new arrival of runaways for at least another month, so perhaps she could help a few of her family’s slaves escape in the meantime.

 

She was pondering this thought when she nearly ran into someone, her scream of surprise dying in her throat as the man stumbled back, clutching the side of his torso. The man cringed as blood poured out of a bullet wound. His dark hair was matted to his forehead in sweat, his eyes matching the colour of the blue gemstone of his ring. Despite the shape that he was in, Louise found herself enchanted by this man. Who was he and what happened to him?

 

Finally, Louise was able to shake herself out of her stupor. “Sir, can I help?” She asked, throwing his free arm around her shoulder and helping him to stand.

 

The man groaned at the movement, Louise almost crumpling under his weight as he braced himself against her. “I need… I need cover…”

 

Nodding grimly, Louise began moving the stranger, helping him walk with her. “Come, there is some place I can take you.”

 

Stumbling, the pair managed to make it through the woods, Lois quickly settling the injured man on the floor of the shack. Flustered, the look around rapidly for cloth, anything to help stop the bleeding. Acting quickly, she tore off the edge of her petticoat, pressing the cotton fabric against his wound.

 

The pressure seemed to help little as the man swayed in and out of consciousness. “The ring…” The man moaned. “Remove… the… ring.” His strength was waning, each shaking breath a struggle as he fought to get the words out.

 

Confused, Louise removed the peculiar ring. What happened next was something that she would never forget, something that she would carry to her grave. The man’s eyes flashed brightly as Louise removed the ring and tucked it into her reticule. Almost instantaneously, the man’s skin gave off a light glow as the wound healed before her, the skin stitching itself together without leaving a scar. Now recovered, the man sat upright, grabbing the ring back from Louise and slipping it onto his finger. His eyes flashed brightly once again before returning to their normal colour and the man gave Louise a grateful smile.

 

“You have saved my life and I don’t even know your name, nor you mine. Thank you, miss, you are far too kind.”

 

Louise was in shock. That was the only explanation she could come up with for her complete lack of manners in dealing with the somehow recovered strange man. Carefully, she removed the bloody piece of her petticoat from his skin. She glanced back and forth between the stained fabric and the unmarked skin, wondering how this was even possible. “What are you?” Louise asked, her voice trembling with fear and uncertainty.

 

“I am not from around here. This ring,” he said, holding the appropriate hand in the air, “makes me mortal like you. Without it, I have many strange abilities.”

 

“Including the ability to heal miraculously?”

 

“If I wasn’t wearing the ring the bullet would never have been able to penetrate my skin in the first place.” The man spoke softly. “Please, do not be afraid.”

 

Louise stuttered, trying to find a way to explain the unearthly man in front of her. She was scared of him, but she knew that she should have been running away from him in fear. Yet she was unable to. Something about him drew her in and Louise wanted nothing more than to help the stranger.

 

“My name is Calvin Mays.” He extended his hand, which Louise tentatively took.

 

“Louise Eppes. You are currently on my property.”

 

“Eppes? Of Appomattox manor?” Louise nodded shyly in confirmation. “And here I was thinking that you were a part of the underground railroad.”

 

At first, she was insulted by his statement, ready to scold him for thinking that she was not brave or moral enough to be a part of the railroad due to her name. That was, until she noticed the teasing gleam in his eyes. “You are in fact in the shed that runaways stop in on their way to freedom.”

 

“My mistake then, Miss Eppes. Though it is surprising that a woman with your family ties partakes in such an illegal activity.”

 

Louise stiffened at his words, her reply becoming caustic in turn. “I cannot help but fight injustice when I see it. The law does not scare me, but the idea of going to heaven without helping to fight against the wrongs that I see here on Earth does. What is right is not always what is lawful, Mr. Mays.”

 

“I beg your pardon if I have insulted you, Miss Eppes. It’s just, where I come from a very similar tradition of slavery has just ended. It would have ended sooner if the people in power such as yourself had acted as you are now.”

 

“Is that why you’ve joined the railroad upon coming here?” Louise assumed, turning the conversation towards Calvin. “Is that how you got injured, Mr. Mays?”

 

“You assume correct, Miss Eppes.”

 

“Please, call me Louise. My surname is not appropriate considering the nature of our meeting.”

 

“Then call me, Calvin, Louise.” He smirked, revealing a devilish grin. “And yes, that is correct. I was on my way back from a drop off when some local men saw me sneaking around the property and decided that the best deterrent would be to chase me with their rifles. I could have easily removed my ring and escaped quickly and unscathed but…”

 

“That would have resulted in a witch hunt after you.” Louise finished. She brushed dust off of her skirt, wondering how she was going to explain the bloodstains to house slaves. “Well, I will leave you here to rest. I will return tomorrow night and I shall lead you to my contact further north. From there you should be able to escape.”

 

“Then I shall see you tomorrow night. Sweet dreams, Louise.” Calvin spoke, gently grasping her hand and leaving a soft kiss on it.

 

Thankful that the darkness of night hid her flaming cheeks, Louise mumbled goodnight to her temporary boarder. Rushing back to the house, she tried to calm her beating heart. Who exactly was Calvin and why did he cause such a reaction from her? As a debutante, Louise had met many suitable men. None of them had affected her the way Calvin did. Maybe it was the illicit and dangerous nature of how they met, maybe it was how his morals aligned with hers.

 

Either way, Louise prayed that once she had helped him escape to his freedom, they would meet again in more fortunate circumstances. It seemed selfish to ask God for such a request when there were so many more in need of His help, but Louise couldn’t help it. Something in her was telling her that Calvin was supposed to be in her life, and despite all odds against them, Louise hoped that her feeling would come true.

 

Calvin smiled as he made himself as comfortable as possible on the dirt floor of the shed. Louise was something unfamiliar to him. She was a lady through and through, but a lady who fought for what she believed it, even if it was in secret. Partaking in the underground railroad was a dangerous past time, Clavin’s healed bullet wound proof of the perils of taking part in the railroad. It was especially dangerous for a woman such as Louise, who had more to risk than did he.

 

It was for that reason that Calvin found himself dreaming of Louise, of a world where he could bring her home with him to Krypton, or to remain here with her, taking her from her life as a slave owner and help her bring slaves to safety. It was fool’s thinking however, as Calvin knew that his time to return home was drawing near. The bullet had been a close call, and he knew that his father was getting restless for Calvin to return and take his seat on the council.

 

However, he at least had tonight and tomorrow’s with the most unique girl he had ever met, and that would have to be enough.

 

The first thing Louise noticed as she treaded towards the old shed was the flapping fabric of Calvin’s shirt as he stood in the lee of the doorway, out of sight but able to see into the fields surrounding him.

 

“Are you ready?” She whispered, Calvin nodding in return and following her off of the plantation.

 

The pair walked in silence until they were far enough away for them to talk to each other in hushed tones. Calvin told Louise about his home and family and in return, she told him how she had come to be a part of the underground railroad. The journey passed quickly, Louise and Calvin growing more fond of each other as they led Calvin to safer land.

 

“I wish you could stay.” Louise pleaded as they stopped at the woods at the edge of the house. “I wish you could come back to the manor and court me.”

 

Calvin sighed as he softly placed his hands on her shoulders, leaning forward so that their foreheads touched. “Louise, I would stay if I could. Better yet, I would bring you home with me. But it just cannot be.”

 

“Life is so unfair.” Louise complained, stifling the outraged cry that threatened to break out of her. “It’s not fair.”

 

“We are both well aware of how unfair life is. That’s why you must remain and fight for what you believe in.”

 

“I wish to be with you.”

 

“You will always be with me, Louise, even if not physically.” Calvin sighed. “And please, remember what I said about fleeing north before it is too late. If what is happening here is anything like what happened back home, I would hate for you to be caught in the devastation.”

 

Louise nodded, a single tear travelling down her cheek as she fought for her composure. “Stay safe, Calvin. Please.”

 

“You as well, Louise.” Calvin said before softly kissing her forehead. Pulling away, he gave her hands one last squeeze before he disappeared towards the next safe house.

 

Louise watched until he was out of sight before reluctantly turning around and making her way back to the manor. She was sure of very little these days besides her moral convictions, but Louise was sure that that was the last that anyone would hear of Calvin Mays. 


	9. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clark tells Lois the truth about him.

Lois woke from the dream with a gasp, staring at Clark peculiarly as memories of the dream flooded her mind. Was Clark strange like Calvin was in her dream? Did he possess the same abilities? Instead of answering questions that Lois had, the dream caused her to have more; Questions that Lois was dying to ask but didn’t know how to.

 

Clark turned to find Lois’ eyes observing him intently. He sighed, standing up from the couch and running his hands through his hair. There was no doubt that Lois had questions about him, at least if she had experienced the same dream that he did. It did stand to reason that if Clark’s previous reincarnations had these abilities, then his current one did too. Lois was no doubt currently trying to put all the pieces together.

 

Sensing that Clark was struggling with something momentous, Lois decided to ease the tension in the room. “Well, at least we know we were on the right side of the slavery argument.”

 

Clark smiled weakly at her attempt at levity. Bracing himself, he tensed as he turned to look at her. “I think I need to explain some things.”

 

Lois nodded quickly. “It would be nice. You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to though.”

 

“No,” Clark shook his head, sitting back down next to her and cupping her small hands in his larger ones. “No, I need to explain so much to you. There’s so much that you don’t know, about me, about my biological father, about the purpose of the dreams.”

 

She waited patiently as Clark struggled to find the correct words, starting and stopping an explanation several times. Rubbing her thumbs against the palms of his hands in what she hoped was a soothing manner, Lois gave him an encouraging smile. At last, Clark finally spoke. But instead of an explanation, he asked a question.

 

“Lois, when you found me in the cornfield that night, why didn’t you ask me what that was about when I got my memory back?”

 

She shrugged in answer. “I don’t know, Smallville. I guess I thought that you were probably freaked out about whatever happened to you and that if you ever wanted to tell me, you would.”

 

“Thank you for doing that. It was what I needed.” He smiled softly at her answer before turning serious, squeezing her hands before he spoke again. “Lois… What I’m about to tell you, only three people know. My mother, Chloe, and my old friend Pete.” Clark began, hoping that he was starting his explanation the best way possible. “I’ve never… I’ve never really told anyone my secret before. I mean, Chloe and Pete sort of discovered it and obviously Mom knew even before I did. After all, she and Dad found me.”

 

“Found you?”

 

“Lois, the day of the first meteor shower, Jonathan and Martha Kent found a small boy on the side of the road. He then led them to his ship, the thing that had brought him to Earth. They took him in, forged adoption papers, and gave him a name and a home. Lois, I’m different. My birth name is Kal-Eland I’m… I’m the sole survivor from a planet that was destroyed many years ago called Krypton. The meteor rocks are the remains of my home planet.”

 

Her eyes widened in surprise at his words. “Clark, you’re telling me that you’re a… That you’re an…” Lois stuttered, mind grasping at straws as it attempted to compute what Clark had just told her. Smallville, her Smallville, was from another planet? Clark, the person with the most humanity she had ever met was the proof of intelligent life on other planets? She didn’t want to believe it, almost couldn’t believe it, but with one look into his eyes Lois knew that he was telling the truth. She had never seen him so scared, so hesitant, so terrified that she would reject him. That’s how she knew that everything she had ever thought about the world and about the Kents was going to change drastically.

 

“Alien?” Clark finished her thought, breaking Lois out of her stupor. “Yes. I was born about three galaxies away from here. The yellow sun of this planet gives me my abilities, like you saw in the dream, as my home planet had a red sun. Kryptonians, my people, have been coming to Earth for centuries before I was sent here however, through portals. That’s why we have these memories of interacting in our past lives. Kryptonians were always aware of Earth, even if Earth wasn’t always aware of us.”

 

“Wait…” Lois paused him, her mind focusing on a certain facet of his story. “If you’re the sole survivor of your planet, how can you talk to your biological father?”

 

Clark paused, wondering how to explain his fortress in the artic. “Years ago a Kryptonian travelled to Earth and left the three stones of knowledge. When united, they formed an intergalactic library. Up in the Artic, it created a replica of my home planet and in it my father’s consciousness is housed. It contains all of his knowledge and allows me to ask it any questions that I have.”

 

“I uh… Wow… I just… What else can you do, you know, invulnerability aside?” Lois asked, noticing how uncomfortable Clark was beginning to look as he explained his fortress. There was more to the fortress than he was telling her, that much she could pick up on. She didn’t press the matter further however, realising that he was revealing so much to her already; Things that he told no one.

 

“I have super strength, super speed, x-ray vision, heat vision, and super hearing so far. Who knows what else will develop. They’ve just been popping up as I go along.” Clark explained.“And I’m not completely invulnerable. I mean, I can catch a bullet, but the meteor rocks, kryptonite, are poisonous to me. Green kryptonite weakens me and can kill me if I’m around it long enough. And red kryptonite strips me of all my inhibitions and it can be quite dangerous. Black kryptonite separates my Kryptonian side from my human side and silver kryptonite makes me paranoid. That’s all I’ve encountered so far, but I’m sure there’s more types. And I’m supposed to be able to fly and I have once. I just um… It wasn’t under my conscious control.”

 

“What? What do you mean not under your conscious control?”

 

“I… My birth father and I have a rough relationship. He has this destiny in mind for me and I rejected it. And well, he didn’t handle that so well. So he captured me and stuck me in a Kryptonian matrix for three months. When you found me on the side of the road, I had just been released and I wasn’t exactly myself. Jor-El, my father, had suppressed my human side, making my Kryptonian side dominant, and as a result, I could fly.”

 

Lois was speechless. It was rare that she was speechless ever, let alone twice in one day. Her brain wouldn’t believe that what Clark was telling her was true, even as she realised that he was telling the truth. It was simply so implausible that every instinct that Lois had was screaming that it was a lie, a hallucination that the Kents shared. But the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. How Clark always seemed to be there in the knick of time, the secrecy that surrounded the Kent farm, how Clark seemed to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. It was as if she was finally getting the full picture of Clark Kent and everything about him was finally making sense.

 

“It’s a lot to take in…” Lois finally spoke, “but it makes sense. You make sense now, Clark. I’m finally seeing the full picture. I mean, I would be broody too if I was the sole survivor of a dead planet and had my father trying to thrust his idea of what I should be doing with my life onto me.”

 

“It might have been lost in translation, but he told me that I was sent to rule Earth. I didn’t exactly like that idea and it caused a lot of consequences.” Clark replied grimly, casting his face towards the floor.

 

“Like the second meteor shower?” Lois guessed, bending to look into his eyes.

 

Shocked at Lois’ insight, Clark decided that it would be best to get everything out there. “Yes. I was supposed to collect the stones of knowledge but I didn’t, so they got into the wrong hands and human blood got on them. By the time I realised the consequences, it was too late.”

 

“So Alien Ken and Barbie? They came with the second meteor shower?”

 

“Yes, they were Kryptonian criminals who came with a ship and an artificial intelligence called Brainiac that is now making my life a living hell. I managed to get them sent back to the Phantom Zone, which is an intergalactic prison, but Brainiac is still here on Earth and very much a threat. That’s why Jor-El made us have these dreams now. Apparently we weren’t supposed to realise how important we are to each other until a few more years, but if I’m supposed to defeat Brainiac, I apparently need you by my side.”

 

“What exactly is Brainiac doing?”

 

“Jor-El’s best bet is that he is going to bring back my father’s enemy, General Zod. He was responsible for the destruction of Krypton and my father thinks that he plans to do the same thing here. Kryptonians were apparently firm believers in reincarnation and soulmates and so Jor-El believes that I need you in order to fix my mistakes. Without you by my side, I will apparently not have the strength to do what needs to be done to defeat Brainiac.”

 

“So basically,” Lois recapped, her voice getting higher in pitch as a result of his most recent confession, “you and I are supposed to defeat an alien super computer and we can do this because we’re also supposed to be soulmates and perfect for each other?”

 

“I know it’s a lot to take in—“ Clark started, only to be cut off by Lois screaming as she flung her hands into the air.

 

“A lot to take in?” Lois asked testily. She had told herself that she would remain calm, understanding just how much of a risk Clark was taking by telling her about who he was. The straw that broke the camel’s back however, was his calm tone as he understated the shock value of everything that he had just revealed. “I just found out that my best friend is from another planet and that we are supposed to be together according to the universe, but the timeline of our love story got bumped up a bit because evil aliens are trying to take over the Earth and we’re the only ones who can stop them? A lot to take in? Clark, this is fucking impossible to take in!”

 

“Lois—“

 

“No, Clark, let me speak.” Lois began, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath before continuing. “I am so honoured that you have trusted me with your secret, and I will never breathe a word of it to another soul as long as I live. Even though you were under duress when you told me, I understand that that can’t have been easy for you to reveal.

 

“That said, I need time to wrap my head around this. I mean, God, Clark, you just told me that the theory about life on other planets isn’t just a theory but a fact. I can’t help but be in shock right now. You just changed my entire perspective not only on my purpose in the universe, as I’m apparently your soulmate, but also my entire knowledge of the world that I live in.”

 

“I understand, Lois, I do. I’ll go now I guess and just—“ Clark said, dejected, standing up and thumbing over his shoulder towards the door. “And uh… If you have any more questions I guess I’ll be at the farm.”

 

“Clark?” Lois asked as he walked towards the door. “Clark! Smallville!” She yelled, halting Clark in his retreat. “I wasn’t finished yet.”

 

“Oh.” He said softly, turning nervously back around to face her.

 

“Smallville, I know that that may have come off harsh, subtly and comfort are more Chloe’s expertise. I mean, I’m the daughter of a three star general, I didn’t exactly grow up with role models in that area… Anyway, I’m getting off track. I guess, I just want to say that… You’re amazing, Smallville. In so many ways. I can’t imagine what you’ve gone through growing up. And once I’ve had the chance to think this through and wrap my head around it, I’ll stop by the farm, okay? So don’t go anywhere. As much as I came off like a screaming banshee just then, I’m not angry at you, Clark. I’m just in shock.”

 

A beatific grin almost ripped Clark’s face in half at her words. Speeding forward, he wrapped Lois in his arms and held her tightly. He dropped a kiss to her forehead and rocked them back and forth, so happy that in spite of everything he had just dropped on her, she wasn’t running away screaming or demanding that he leave her apartment and never come back.

 

“Uh… Clark?” Lois squeaked. “Need to breathe here.”

 

“Oops. Sorry, Lo.” Clark blushed sheepishly, loosening his grip on her.

 

“Well, I guess I know about super speed and strength now.”

 

“Sorry about that.” He said, his blush deepening. “I was just… I was so afraid that you’d reject me.”

 

“Don’t be so stupid, Smallville.” Lois replied, reaching up to punch his shoulder with a smile. “You’re still the geeky farm boy I know and love.” She paused slightly at her words before brushing past them. Clark had just told her that they were soulmates. They were clearly beyond the point of being conservative with their word choice. “Now you go and do some farm chores or bench press a tractor or something and when I’m ready I’ll drive to the farm. Say this evening?”

 

“I’ll even cook for you.” Clark replied, his grin never leaving his face. “So I guess I’ll see you this evening?”

 

“This evening.” Lois replied. “And I expect a Martha Kent quality meal, so don't go skimping on me, Smallville.”

 

“I wouldn’t dream of it, Lois.” Clark laughed as he left Lois in her apartment.

 

When Clark left, Lois once again fell backwards onto the couch. “Wow.” She said softly to herself. “Who would’ve thought?”


	10. Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clark and Lois spend some time thinking and come to their own separate revelations.

After arriving back at the farm, Clark did as Lois suggested, with the exception of bench pressing the tractor. He went through his chores at a somewhat leisurely place, taking the time to think about the events of the day. Lois was dealing with the news of the century, yes, but Clark was facing a paradigm shift of his own.

 

Jor-El had told him that it was Lois who he was meant to be with, not Lana. Normally, Clark would have rejected his father’s words without a second thought, but the dreams were too compelling of evidence for him to do that. No, instead he found himself thinking back on so many things; About how his relationship with Lois had evolved, about how his relationship with Lana had devolved. 

 

Lana Lang had always been the unattainable girl who represented everything that Clark had always yearned after: normality. She was the normal, sweet girl next door and Clark thought that if he was with her, if they dated, then he’d be normal too by extension. ‘That’s not how life works though.’ Clark begrudgingly admitted to himself as he went to repair some broken fence line on the back acres.

 

The only time that he and Lana had been truly happy together was during the few weeks of Clark’s mortality. He had been more carefree then, at least until he realised that he couldn’t save the day without his powers. He had tried anyway, and that resulted in him dying. After Clark came back to life, their relationship deteriorated to the same level it had been at when they had first tried to be together back in high school. Clark had his secrets and Lana was always pushing him to tell her the truth, unsatisfied with what the level of truth that he gave her. He remembered the first time she had told him that she loved him, only to follow up her statement with a ‘but.’ That conditional conjunction should have made Clark realise the path that their relationship would take. Lana wasn’t satisfied unless he was completely honest with her, even if she wasn’t always honest with him.

 

That was what had compelled him to propose to her the first time that he lived the day that his father died. He thought that if he told her the truth about himself and asked her to marry him, everything would be okay. At first, in the aftermath of reliving that day, Clark just thought that the universe didn’t want him to be happy; First Lana, then his father dying, his relationship with Lana becoming more strained in the aftermath.

 

If he was honest with himself however, he knew that that wasn’t true. Clark knew that the life of one of his loved ones would be exchanged in return for his life. By going back in time and saving Lana, Clark was opening up the possibility of someone else in his life dying. Either way, someone was going to die and there was nothing he could do about it. He hadn’t been thinking straight however, had been so angry with Jor-El for killing who he thought was the only girl who would ever love him, that he had acted rashly. That seemed to be a theme for him throughout his adolescence; Rash decision making.

 

And if he analysed that fateful day further, he would have remembered the way Lana had looked at him when she found out the truth. She was in awe, yes, but she was also in fear. She had been afraid of him. But when she came back later to accept his proposal, he had been so happy that he didn’t stop to think that maybe she was only doing it because she felt she had to, because Clark had just told her his best kept secret. And maybe that wasn’t the reason, but that didn’t change the fact that she was initially in fear of him when she first found out the truth.

 

Lois hadn’t been. She had been shocked, yes. Angry too. But that was understandable considering he had dropped several other life-changing bombs on her besides ‘I’m an intergalactic traveller.’ But she didn’t hate him and she didn’t fear him. She was going to come to the farm tonight and they were going to talk everything over. She had accepted him as soon as the truth emerged. And she had never pressured him about his secrets. She understood secrets and why they were kept.

 

So maybe, just maybe, Lana wasn’t the one for him and Jor-El was telling the truth about Lois. She had been strong enough to handle his secret and greet him with acceptance, but she also respected his boundaries enough not to make him tell her anything that he didn’t want to. Lois Lane was incredibly special, and Clark had only just begun to see just how special she could be.

 

Feeling himself enter what Lois called his brooding mood, Clark quickly went back to the house to call his mother in Topeka. He fidgeted on the kitchen stool as he called her, the phone ringing twice before she answered.

 

“Hello? Clark?”

 

His mother’s soothing voice was an instant comfort, Clark calming down as he spoke. “Hey, Mom, I have a question for you.”

 

“Well, I’ll try my best to answer it.”

 

“Mom, do you remember telling me about how maybe Lana wasn’t the one?”

 

“Yes, Clark, honey, what is this about?”

 

“I just… How do you know, that someone isn’t the one?”

 

Martha sighed, hoping to whatever higher power that existed that her son wasn’t thinking about what she thought he was. “Oh, Clark. I think you just know. You had loved Lana for so long, but your relationship was always so rocky. She wanted things from you that you weren’t ready to give her. When you’re with the one, you trust them with everything, even the darker sides of you. You had plenty of opportunity to tell her your secret after that day, but you didn’t. And when you let her go even when she wanted to get back together, maybe that was a sign. Maybe you’ve accepted to a certain level that Lana just wasn’t the one. And that’s why you didn’t tell her your secret. We raised you to be so careful, maybe too much, but you need to trust your gut when it comes to telling people the truth. Maybe it wasn’t just about the danger of Lana knowing your secret, but it was maybe that deep down, you know she isn’t the one that you’re going to end up with.”

 

Clark remained silent, prompting Martha to continue talking. “I just worry, Clark, that you’ll be so caught up with Lana and what could have been, that you won’t move on, so focused on her that you’ll miss a great girl. I don’t say this to upset you, Son, but Lana was your first love, it’s understandable that she affected you. However, first love doesn’t mean that she will be your only love.”

 

“It’s just… I’m so different. What if no one ever loves me because of it?”

 

“I’ve always believed that there’s someone out there for you. And she’ll be very unique, yes, but she’s out there. Maybe it’s not Lana, but I’ve always believed in soulmates, Clark, even for someone as special at you.”

 

Clark managed to not drop the phone when his mother talked about soulmates, just barely managing to hang onto it as his hand slipped from the receiver. “I uh… Thank you, Mom. You’re home tomorrow, right?”

 

“Yes, tomorrow, but only for a few days. But, I’ll be home for recess by the end of the month. I love you, Clark.”

 

“Love you too, Mom.” Clark replied before hanging up.

 

Letting out a sigh, Clark composed himself before going upstairs to get ready for Lois coming over. He owed it to himself to let Lana go, even if it was only temporary, to see what he could have with Lois. Maybe his mother and Jor-El were right, maybe they weren’t, but Clark owed it to himself to find out.

 

~~~

 

Lois was antsy. She arrived at the Daily Planet only to find that her cousin was out. It had been not so subtly hinted that Lois should leave and come back later, but Lanes weren’t quitters. That was how Lois had ended up spending the last thirty minutes at her cousin’s desk in the bullpen, clicking pens and scribbling on odd scraps of paper.

 

Chloe could get mad at her for messing up her desk later.

 

It was right when Lois was about to rifle through the drawers of her cousin’s desk that Chloe walked into the bullpen, face covered by a massive stack of papers. “Chloe!” Lois exclaimed, getting up from the desk and rushing over to her cousin.

 

“Lois?” Chloe asked, giving her cousin a curious look as Lois took the papers from her and set them down on the desk.

 

“We need to talk.” Lois explained as she grabbed her cousin’s hand and yanked her through the bullpen and into an empty supply closet.

 

“Okay, you got my attention, now spill.” Chloe stated, crossing her arms and quirking an eyebrow at her flustered cousin. She hadn’t seen Lois this anxious since the wayward Lucy Lane had last visited. Her cousin was muttering as she paced back and forth across the small room, Chloe only catching every few words that she said.

 

“Unbelievable…. Makes so much sense….” Lois said, talking more to herself than to her cousin.

 

Staring at her obviously perturbed cousin, Chloe finally clocked on to what Lois was rambling about. It was the same way that she herself had reacted upon learning the truth about Clark all those months ago. “He told you about himself.” Chloe stated matter of factly.

 

The words stopped her in her tracks, Lois finally looking her cousin in her eyes for the first time that afternoon. “That obvious?” Lois questioned, rubbing her hands on her jeans.

 

“Well, only to someone who knows. Believe me, I had flipped when I found out.”

 

“But you were so calm when you asked me what I would do if I knew that a friend had a secret!”

 

“You figured out that that was about Clark, huh?” Chloe asked, chuckling softly at her cousin’s intuitive nature. Lois could deny it all she wanted, but clearly investigation was in their shared blood.

 

“It wasn’t too far of a leap.” Lois pursed her lips together, debating what she wanted to ask. There were so many questions she still had and while she knew that Chloe could probably answer a lot of them, some of them Clark should answer. “How do you do it, Chloe? How do you support him? He’s such an amazing person, with such a huge secret, how do you help him carry the burden?”

 

Chloe sighed as she went to lean against the copier. “To be honest, Lo, I don’t know. I just try my best. I let him know that I’m here for him if he needs me and I help him out when I can. It’s not easy, and I can’t fill all the holes in his heart. But I can support him and help him feel like he belongs, even if just for a moment.”

 

“I’m just so afraid. There’s so much he told me, so much about the dreams that he found out from Jor-El, there’s just so much riding on me being there for him.”

 

Chloe crinkled her eyebrows. “Lo, what do you mean about the dreams?”

 

“I can’t really explain it, I don’t even really understand it myself, but I apparently play a very important role in Clark’s destiny and, Chlo, how can I… How can me, the girl who got kicked out of college for underage drinking and who was supposed to redo her senior year of high school, how can I be the one who’s supposed to fill that role?”

 

Confused with Lois’ cryptic explanation, Chloe observed the stress that her cousin was under. This reaction wasn’t just from finding out the truth about Clark, there was something else, something big, that Chloe didn’t know about yet. But Chloe watched her cousin, watched the way she paced around the room and chewed absent-mindedly on the ends of her hair. If Lois was supposed to be there for Clark in whatever important role she fills, then Chloe would have to be there for Lois. “Lo, you’re the strongest person I know.”

 

“Well, we both know that isn’t true.” Lois jibbed, spitting her hair out of her mouth.

 

“I mean it, Lois. Maybe not physically, but you are. You may come across a bit…”

 

“Abrasive? Loud? Rude?”

 

“All of the above. But Lois, look at what you’ve been through. Look at who you’ve become. Your mom died when you were young and you were tasked with taking care of your little sister when you were still a kid yourself. You moved from army base to army base with a rather distant father, and yeah, you fucked up more than once. I’m listing the smoking as your first mistake. But you’ve always come back stronger. Lex called you a muffin meddler so you enrolled at Central Kansas, juggling school with working at the Talon, and being the Kents’ campaign manager and helping them beat Lex in the race. When you put your mind to something, you accomplish it no matter what and you don’t take no for an answer.

 

“And yet, you also know when to leave things along. You lived with the Kents, you had to have noticed more than a few strange… instances surrounding Clark during that time. But you never pushed it. You accepted whatever half-baked excuse he offered and let it go. You knew that the last thing Clark needed was for you to push him about his secrets. And because of that, he trusts you more than almost anyone. And Lois, you’re so loyal and protective over your loved ones, even the ones who don’t deserve it. I just know that whatever it is that Jor-El said that’s bothering you, you’ll be able to handle it.”

 

“Yeah…” Lois said softly as her cousin finished her pep talk. “Thanks, Chlo, I never thought about it that way.”

 

“You’re an amazing person, Lo. It’s about time you started to recognise that yourself.”

 

“Damn right, I’m amazing, I’m Lois Lane.” She joked, turning and pulling her cousin into a tight hug. “Thank you so much, Chloe. I’m going to go talk to Clark. I’ll see you later.”

 

“Go. And when you two have sorted this out, let me know. We can be like the three musketeers.”

 

Chloe watched as her cousin ran out of the newsroom and sprinted up the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator. She had no clue what was going on, but she knew it had to be big to have rattled her cousin. Very little shook the formidable Lois Lane, and Chloe was curious to discover what exactly was going on. Maybe it would be nothing, or maybe it would be everything.

 

Either way, Chloe could wait. When they were ready, they would come to her.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lois and Clark discuss his origins.

Clark had picked up on the low rumble of Lois’ car about five miles away. He knew that she’d be in the farm yard soon and that he should get up to greet her, yet he found that he couldn’t move. No matter the outcome of this evening, there would be a paradigm shift in their relationship. Lois now knew who he was, where he came from, and from now on, nothing between them would be the same.

 

Lois blew out a puff of air as she parked her car, nervously stepping out and making her way to the familiar farmhouse. Not so long ago, she had been living there. Now, she was entering into it as the alleged soulmate of a superpowered being. Yeah, it was safe to say that things had changed. Steeling herself for the evening, she entered the yellow house to find Clark in the kitchen, removing what appeared to be lasagna from the oven without the use of oven mitts.

 

“Yeah, that’s going to take some getting used to.” Lois laughed, some of the tension disappearing from the room.

 

Clark glanced back at Lois, then at his bare yet unburned hands. He grimaced. “Yeah, I remember when I was six, we had lost something under the bed. It was this solid oak frame bed, you know, not exactly light, and I, at six years old, lifted it like it was nothing.”

 

“God, how did your parents react?”

 

“Well, aside from the initial shock, they sat me down and told me that I was different from other kids and that I’d need to be careful. I mean, they knew that they had found an alien; The spaceship was pretty damning evidence. That, and apparently the only language I spoke for a year was Kryptonian until I had eventually learned English. They just took everything in stride. We didn’t know what other abilities I would develop, so they just helped me deal with each one as best they could as they came along.”

 

“But it’s one thing knowing that you’re raising a child from another galaxy and another seeing evidence of it. I mean, Clark, you look like everyone else. Okay, maybe a bit taller and more muscular than the average male specimen, but you look—”

 

“Human?” Clark asked, looking up from where he had begun setting the dining room table. “Yeah, that’s why I was sent to this planet. Extra abilities aside, I’m just like everyone else.”

 

“You are like everyone else, Clark.” Lois said, the vehemence in her voice surprising even her. “You’re just… Well, you’re just a little super.”

 

Clark smiled at Lois. “ Come on, let’s start eating before this gets cold.”

 

The first part of dinner was quiet, neither Lois nor Clark knowing what to say. Lois, for her part, was watching Clark carefully, knowing that she was seeing the farm boy in a new light. “Clark,” she asked, “do you even need to eat? Or sleep for that matter? I mean, you’re basically a solar-powered battery right?”

 

She was surprised when Clark’s reply to her question was to let out a full laugh, throwing his head back. Once he had calmed down from his peels of laughter, Clark wiped the moisture from his eyes. “You know, Lois, no one has ever described me as a solar-powered battery before.”

 

“Well,” Lois replied, glad that she didn’t come off insulting, “I am one of a kind.”

 

“That you are.” Clark grinned. “And to answer your questions, I don’t technically need to eat, but I enjoy it. I mean, I grew up eating and Mom’s cooking is always amazing. For sleep, I need some, especially in winter when it’s cloudier, but I can function on less than humans can.”

 

“And if I hit you over the head with say, a sledge hammer, that wouldn’t hurt?”

 

“No. In fact, it’d probably hurt you more than it hurt me. Unless I’m prepared and able to react to someone hitting me, my body won’t move.”

 

“Which means that all the force of the impact hits an immovable wall and doubles back on the object or person hitting you. I may have hated physics, but I do remember what happens when there’s no crumble zone and a car hits a wall. In this case, you’d be the wall and my first would be the car.”

 

“Exactly.” Clark replied, leaning back in his chair. “You have no idea how many close calls you’ve had though. You almost caught me unaware a few times that you’ve hit me. Lucky for you, I learned to always anticipate you hitting me whenever you’re within a five mile radius.”

 

Lois snorted, quickly covering her mouth at the sound. She glared at Clark. “Look who all of a sudden grew a funny bone. What’d you do, take comedy lessons today?”

 

Clark chuckled at her remark. “No, Lois, it’s just nice being able to be my full self around you. I mean, I know there’s this huge world-ending scenario looming ahead of us, but—“

 

“You are allowed to relax, Clark. Jor-El hasn’t said anything more to you, yeah?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“And until we know more information, we can’t form a plan of attack. Daughter of a general here, Smallville. God, what would you do without me?”

 

“I hope I never have to find out.”

 

Clark’s statement sucked any levity the evening had found out of the room, Lois looking up at him to look him in the eyes. He was staring at her with such intensity, and dare she say it love, that it scared her. She knew instantly that Clark could be the person to tear down her carefully crafted walls, and the thought of being vulnerable around him scared her. No matter what Jor-El had said and no matter what happened in the dreams, Lois couldn't help but be skeptical. 

 

She had to be if she was going to be able to protect her heart.

 

Without realising it, Lois and Clark had gravitated closer together and she rested her palm on his chest. She steered him towards the couch and sat him down, sitting across from him on the other end. Legs crossed and hands placed in her lap, Lois looked carefully at Clark, studying him once again with her intuitive gaze.

 

“Tell me what it was like.” She asked, her voice uncharacteristically gentle. “Growing up different.”

 

Clark paused, mouth hung open as he wondered where to begin. “Well, I didn’t really know just how different I was until I was fourteen. I’d only had super speed and super strength and my parents hadn’t told me about the spaceship.” 

 

He then continued to tell Lois about the day Lex ran him off the bridge and how he didn’t take kindly to the idea that his parents had lied to him about his origins. He then talked about how his various other powers developed, some of the stories comical, some more worrying. X-ray vision and heat vision, those had funny stories to accompany them. The story behind super hearing caused Lois’ breath to catch in her throat, imagining what it would be like to suddenly be blind and not being able to block out the sounds surrounding you.

 

She grabbed his hand as he told her about his disastrous first go-a-round with Lana and how she couldn’t accept that he had things that he couldn’t tell her. He told her about how Lex had had him investigated and how he had seen a side of Lex he could never forget, a side that reminded him of Lionel. He talked about Kyla and the caves, about Alicia and why her death hurt had him so much. He told her about running away after his mom lost her baby and all the awful things he did in that short time, working for Morgan Edge as ‘Kal.’ He told her everything that had hurt him in his life up until he met her, about how Pete couldn’t handle his secret and left town because of it, convincing Clark that it was too dangerous for people to know, almost to the point of isolating himself.

 

Lois, in turn, was aching for Clark. She couldn’t imagine growing up so different and having to lie to everyone around you around you, convinced that it was for the best if no one got too close. Sure, she had grown up moving from base to base, always feeling like the outsider. But she had never been an outsider in the sense that Clark had. Clark had grown up different, feeling that he would never fit in and that he could never be normal. It was hard enough to go through adolescence without the added pressures of a biological father shouting at you about your destiny and trying to hide what made him so different so that he wouldn’t be put under a microscope. It was unbelievable how Clark had turned out as good as he was, as hopeful as he was.

 

Clark took in a deep breath, about to tell Lois about his few weeks of mortality and the consequences of them when she slapped her hand over his mouth, telling him to shut up. He furrowed his eyebrows, tilting his head at her while her hand still remained placed over his mouth.

 

I… I didn’t mean that in a rude way.” Lois stuttered, realising how her actions could have come across. “It’s just, you’ve told me so much and it must be so hard for you to talk about all that… It’s just, we can take a break, talk about it later, you know? No dire need for me to know all your secrets at this moment, right? A little mystery is good.”

 

“Lois, I don’t mind talking about it.” Clark replied as he peeled her hand off of his mouth.

 

“Well, I do!” She insisted. “Not in that I don’t want to here about it, I do, but God, Clark. I just… To hear what you’ve been through, what you’ve dealt with… How hard it must be for you to hide who you are from everyone… You’re such an incredible person, Smallville and I never realised, fully realised, that until now.”

 

“It is hard. I’m not going to lie.” He replied, shrugging his shoulders. “It’s been nice having Chloe to confide in even if I didn’t exactly choose to tell her because she had been swept up to the Artic with me, but I understand why I can’t just tell people. I mean, you and Chloe and my parents, you’re all great. You know about me and you accept me. But not everyone is going to be like that. Pete couldn’t handle my secret, I’ve had FBI agents who’ve suspected something come after me, and people like Lex try to exploit me. Not everyone in this world is as good as you are, Lois, so I have to be careful.”

 

“I’m not a good person, Clark.”

 

“Yes, yes you are, Lois.” Clark asserted. “Lois, you’re one of the best people I know. Look at Lucy. She’s taken advantage of you so many times and yet you’re always there for her. You’re always around to help her. You took time out of your schedule and chased her down in Europe even after she tricked you into helping her steal money.”

 

“That just means I’m a sucker.” Lois shied away, attempting to get some distance between them. But Clark grabbed onto her hands and pulled them to his chest, holding her close to him.

 

“No.” Clark maintained, shaking his head. “No, it’s means that you look for the best in people, even if you don’t want to admit it. Lo, if you weren’t a good person, you could have called the army by now and told them about me. God knows what the army would do with someone like me, but I know they’d love to get their hands on me. You have all the knowledge to destroy me, but instead, you feel sympathy for me. You aren’t afraid of who I am and what I can do. Instead, you feel sorry for what I’ve been through because of my differences. Lois, if I’m an incredible person, you are just as incredible.”

 

“Clark…” Lois’ voice was soft as she spoke, trembling on the verge of cracking as she fought against the tears that were welling in her eyes. It was one thing to hear Chloe, her cousin, call her amazing, but it was another for Clark to, a person that Lois found to be so incredible that she couldn’t put it into words.

 

“Lois, I don’t know what the future holds. Or hell, even what tomorrow holds. But I don’t want you thinking that you aren’t worthy of being my soulmate, because Lois, behind that callous wall that you’ve built to protect yourself from getting hurt, you are the most caring, loyal, protective person I know. And if anything, I’m not worthy of you.”

 

Lois sniffed as Clark wiped stray moisture from her eyes with his thumbs. “Damn allergies.” She covered, knowing full well that Clark wasn’t buying her excuse, but that he wouldn’t call her on it.

 

“Are you good now?” He asked gently, cradling her face in his hands.

 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m good now.”

 

Slowly, Lois looked up from her lap to find Clark staring at her in ernest. His eyes searched hers, his blue-green hazel eyes meeting her brown-green ones and she found herself melting as she looked into his eyes.

 

“Lois?” His soft voice broke through the spell that Lois found herself in, his voice tentative as he spoke to her.

 

“Yes, Clark?” She replied, her voice equally unsure.

 

“I’m going to kiss you now, okay?”

 

Lois must have nodded because the next thing she knew, Clark’s lips were swooping down on hers and capturing them in a gentle caress. It was hardly the most romantic first kiss that Lois had ever had, but it was by far the most meaningful. Here she was, dried tear tracks on her cheeks, her eyes and nose red from crying, and he was kissing her in spite of it all. He pulled away slowly, hands still cupping her face, looking into her eyes to see how she was feeling.

 

Clark didn’t have a chance to gauge Lois’ reaction though, because she was soon chasing after his lips with her own, pulling him to her by the fabric of his t-shirt. She melded her lips against his, her lips moving passionately against his. The moment was broken however when Clark carefully, slowly, moved his hands from her face to her waist. The sudden movement caused Lois to pull out of their kiss, her eyes wide in shock.

 

She tentatively touched her lips with one hand, fumbling around for her car keys with the other.

 

“Lois?” Clark asked, unsure what caused the sudden change in her.

 

She looked at him one last time before sprinting out of the house, stuttering as she provided him with a weak explanation. “I… I have to go.” She said as she pushed through the front door. “I just… I just have to go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for everyone who has been reading and commenting! It means the world to me! I'm going to try updating as much as I can for the next few days because after that I have a friend coming into town for two weeks and I doubt that I'll be able to update during that time. Don't worry however, I have the last chapter updated so as soon as I can I'll get back to a normal updating schedule! I hope to have this story completely uploaded by the end of September.
> 
> I'm currently working on another story and I have the idea for one one-shot and two other stories in my head that will eventually come to fruition, probably at some point next year.
> 
> Let me know what you thought of the chapter! I had really enjoyed writing this one and really beginning to flesh out their budding relationship. The next few chapters are big ones!


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nazi controlled France.

**1943**

**Paris, France**

 

Éloise briskly walked down the Seine, keenly aware that she only had a few minutes left before curfew. And the last thing she needed was to be caught out after curfew and arrested and subsequently interrogated by the Gestapo. She hurried up the alley to her apartment, breathing a sigh of relief as she closed the door behind her with five minutes to spare.

 

It was close, tonight. She couldn’t afford another close call.

 

Two years ago, Éloise had been summoned to the war office in London and was asked to join a secret team of spies that would live in occupied France. Due to her Parisian mother and British military officer father, Éloise was a prime choice. She accepted, of course, and that’s how she ended up here, in a tiny apartment off of _Rîve Gauche_ , collecting intelligence for the higher ups in England and aiding the French Resistance. It was dangerous work, seemingly becoming more dangerous as time drew on.

 

Éloise wasn’t stupid. She knew that there were Germans watching her, keeping her under careful surveillance. They wouldn’t act however until she gave them a reason to, and so far, she had been lucky. Her last partner had not been as lucky, the simple girl from Newcastle being caught by the Gestapo not long ago. Éloise suspected that was why she was now being followed, however her innocence and shock at the allegations were keeping her safe for the time being. That, and the cover that Doris was only a temporary roommate, barely an acquaintance, simply someone to help pay the rent until Éloise’s fiancé joined her in Paris.

 

That fiancé was supposed to be arriving soon.

 

“You must be Éloise.” Said a voice from behind her, causing Éloise to turn around in shock.

 

There, in the corner of her apartment, only illuminated by a small desk lamp, was her new partner and fake fiancé. “And you must be Claude.”

 

Éloise stiffened as Claude approached her, his tall frame dwarfing her. His eyes sparkled with mirth, something Éloise found odd considering the danger of their current occupations. “I must say,” he spoke slowly, circling her like a hawk circling its prey, “pretending to be your fiancé will not be as hard as I thought it would be.”

 

She glared at him before shoving him out of her way and entering into her bedroom. “While I may be physically appealing to you, Claude,” Éloise stated, injecting every ounce of venom in her body into how she said his name, “you should be warned that I will not make your job easy for you. I have a penchant for getting into tricky situations.”

 

“I am aware.” Claude chuckled, speaking through the door the she had closed on him. “Why else do you think the higher ups sent their best male agent to look after you?”

 

His statement caused her to open her door furiously, stepping towards him and poking her finger into his chest. “I do not need to be looked after. I need someone who can keep up with me because my last partner couldn’t. Understood?”

 

Claude’s response was to grab her by her shoulders and slam his lips down onto hers, all of Éloise’s protests dying as his lips rhythmically massaged hers. “There, now that both the first kiss and you establishing your pseudo-dominance in this partnership slash fake engagement is over, we can continue on with our jobs. Is that all right with you?”

 

Éloise uncharacteristically stuttered, her body betraying her in spite of her effort to not be visibly affected by his kiss. “Good night, Claude. You may sleep on the couch tonight.”

 

“Why, that’s hardly appropriate for a soon-to-be married couple, isn’t it?”

 

She once again glared at him, hoping that she could scare the laughter out of his bewitchingly blue eyes. “Well, if anyone asks, we can say that you’re in the dog house tonight.”

 

With a huff, Éloise slammed the door in his face and got ready for bed, the thin wood of the door doing little to muffle Claude’s laughter. ‘Laugh all you want,’ she thought, ‘you’ll get yours.’

 

The following weeks passed quickly, Éloise and Claude getting under each other’s skin like no other. Despite their constant banter however, they got along well and were able to carry out missions without a hitch. After all, a disgustingly in love engaged couple was a perfect cover if they were ever caught in a placed where they weren’t supposed to be. For a reason unknown to Éloise, all the police immediately accepted Claude’s excuse of not being able to keep his hands off of her when they interrupted the impromptu snogging sessions that they often used as a cover.

 

She placed it on being yet another thing about the male species that she would never understand. And Claude, she begrudgingly admitted, was one of those things. He was normally so carefree, even when they were on a mission, but there were moments when Éloise would catch his eyes and he would be so somber she wanted to ask him what was wrong. She guessed that it had something to do with his family, as he never talked about anything personal beyond what was required for their operation.

 

But there were other things as well. Claude knew many languages it seemed and he could speak them with no sign of an accent. She remembered the first time he spoke in German to a Gestapo agent. Éloise had almost blown their cover, amazed at Claude’s ability to seamlessly switch back and forth between French and German. He also spoke a language that she wasn’t familiar with, most often in his sleep or muttered under his breath. That, Éloise was curious about. He had told her that he was English, from London, but if so, then what was this language that he was speaking?

 

Yes, things about Claude didn’t add up, but Éloise didn’t have the time to wonder about him, being too busy trying to keep them both alive.

 

It was a routine day when it happened, when they got caught. They were simply strolling along the river after having had a simple dinner at a café. It was July in France and incredibly warm, so they had elected to enjoy a quick walk before retiring to their apartment.

 

They had noticed that they were being followed a few blocks back and made a quick turn for their apartment, hoping that once they were in a residential area that they would be left alone. That last ember of hope was quickly dashed however when the men shot at them, Éloise screaming as a bullet barely missed her arm.

 

Ducking, Claude grabbed her hand and pulled her with him as he ran in a zigzag motion through the streets. They ended up hiding in the shadows of the Vendôme, Claude frantically looking around them for a more secure place to hide.

 

“What do we do now?” Éloise asked cautiously. “They’re going to find us. We can’t stay hidden here forever.”

 

“Éloise, do you trust me?” He asked, gazing down at her with an intensity that she very rarely saw in her partner.

 

“Yes, Claude. With my life.”

 

“Then follow my lead.”

 

Claude led them directly into the hands of the Gestapo, where they were handcuffed and gagged before put into the back of the police wagon. Éloise frantically tried to meet Claude’s eyes, wishing for some inclination of what his plan was and why he got them trapped. 

 

The officer who rode in the back with them was jeering at them in English, making fun of how the silly little spies were no match for the wit of the Germans. Éloise struggled with her gag, wishing for nothing more than to insult the Gestapo agents right back. Claude remained calm however, at least until the officer began insulting Éloise, talking about all the things that he would like to do to her.

 

It was then that Claude acted, breaking out of his handcuffs and flinging the remaining scraps of metal to the side as if they had never posed a threat to him. Maybe they hadn’t. He then tore the gag off of him while simultaneously tackling the officer, knocking him out with a solid punch to the jaw.

 

“Claude?” Éloise asked uncertainly as he removed her gag before making quick work of her handcuffs.

 

“I’ll explain later.” He replied gruffly, picking up on the movements of the officers in the front of the wagon.

 

The two remaining officers opened the doors, their guns drawn. Claude quickly pushed Éloise behind him and she watched in horror as the officers shot at him. Astonished German shouts and swear words caused Éloise to look at Claude, surprised when she didn’t find him riddled with holes, but instead unwounded, the bullets that were shot at him littered around his feet.

 

“Oh my God.” Éloise swore, eyes wide as she finally realised what didn’t make sense about Claude.

 

“No time right now.” Claude replied, moving faster then Éloise could see as he tied the officers together. “Stay in the van, I’ll be back in a minute.”

 

Claude sped off, officers in hand, leaving Éloise alone to think. She sat back down on the bench of the police wagon, trying to piece together the information she just learned. Claude was incredibly strong and fast, and apparently bullet-proof.

 

“What are you?” She asked shakily as she felt him return, a quick breeze picking up and then instantly dying.

 

“I’ll explain once we get to safety.”

 

“Where did you take them?”

 

“I dropped them off in England at the headquarters. They’ll provide valuable information.” He approached her tentatively, gently placing his hand on her shoulder. “Come on, let’s get you home.”

 

Éloise nodded, numb. Claude swiftly picked her up in his arms and to her surprise, launched off the ground. She looked around her, watching the city lights below get smaller and smaller as they flew higher into the air. Their ascent then halted, Claude shifting her in his arms before flying north towards England.

 

He landed gently in the woods outside the intelligence base in Dover, carefully setting her down. She backed away from him quickly, stumbling when her back hit the rough bark of a tree. 

 

“I can explain.” Claude said quickly, holding his hands up.

 

“You better.” She replied, her voice angry.

 

“I’m not from around here, Éloise.”

 

“You mean you’re not English.”

 

“I mean that I’m not human.”

 

“That’s… That’s not possible.” Éloise said, approaching him slowly and placing her hands on his face, fingers skimming his features as if she was trying to study every inch of him. “You look… You look so human.”

 

“I’m humanoid, but I’m from a different planet.” He explained. “That’s why I can do all those things.”

 

“So, the whole time when I just thought that you didn’t like talking about yourself, it wasn’t because you’re a private person but because…”

 

“Knowing who I am, what I can do. It’s dangerous, Éloise. I shouldn’t have exposed myself, but I couldn’t let anything happen to you.”

 

A sob wracked her chest. “You risked everything, didn’t you?”

 

Claude nodded. “I don’t regret my actions, but I need to leave now. Once people hear what happened…”

 

“They’ll come after you. You need to return home now.”

 

“Yes.” He replied simply before giving her instructions. “Éloise, you need to go inside that base and tell no one but Director Davies that it was Claude who saved you, okay? He knows about me, he’s safe. Besides that, you can tell no one what you saw tonight, Éloise, promise me. You won’t be safe if people think you’re connected to me.”

 

“Okay.” She said, but made no move towards the base. Instead she stayed rooted to the spot, hands trailing down from his face to his neck.

 

“You need to go, Éloise. I can’t stay much longer.”

 

“Just… Just one last thing.” She said, before pulling him too her by his neck and planting her mouth on his.

 

Éloise wept into the kiss, tears streaming down her face as Claude reluctantly broke them apart, leaning his forehead against hers. “I think I loved you from the moment you slammed the door in my face.” Claude stated, wiping away her tears before stepping away from her.

 

She chocked back a sob as she chuckled at the memory of their first meeting, the normally joyous sound coming out strangled by her sorrow. Her heart was breaking for this strange man, this man who had risked everything to save her life.

 

“Goodbye, Éloise.” Claude said before flying up into the air to what Éloise presumed was home.

 

She stood alone in the woods for several more minutes before composing herself enough to head into the base. “Goodbye, Claude.” She whispered, casting one last glance toward the sky before heading inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably going to be one of my last updates for a while, I'll try to update at least once more before my friend comes to visit!


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clark confronts Lois.

Clark had planned to give Lois space after their kiss, waiting for her to come to him. But the dream had changed things. He needed to talk to Lois about it. Frankly, he just plain needed her. But he couldn’t get himself to go to her after she had ran out on him, so unsure if it was the right thing to do. 

 

His mother had returned home from Topeka and had picked up on Clark’s inner turmoil, but wisely decided to wait it out, knowing that her son would come to her when he was ready and not a minute sooner. He was a lot like Jonathan in that way, and Martha sadly smiled as she twisted her wedding band. She missed her husband every minute of every day, wondering what he would say to Clark if he was still here, how he would help their son deal with the trials and tribulations of his life.

 

It had been two days since Martha returned home and three days since Lois had ran out on Clark after their kiss when Martha gave up on the waiting game and decided that maybe a little prodding would help her son. Skilfully cornering him in the kitchen with a glass of milk and a plate of pie, she sat across from him, wondering what was bothering him this time.

 

“So,” Martha began carefully, eyeing her son. “Does this mood that you’re in have anything to do with that phone call I got a few days ago?”

 

“I’m not in a mood.” Clark protested, playing around with the remaining pie on his plate. “It’s just… What do you do when you decided that you were going to give someone space, but you realise that you can’t because you need them?”

 

“Is this about Lana? Clark, you broke up with her—“

  
“No!” He exclaimed, cutting her off. “It’s not about Lana.” 

 

Clark then launched into an abbreviated explanation of everything that had happened in the past two weeks, Martha staring at her son in shock as he wound up his story. “I mean, she took everything so well and I dumped so much on her and she was so vulnerable and I’ve never seen her that way before and she just looked so beautiful, so I kissed her! And it felt so right, so perfect, and I thought she felt it too and then she pulled away and just left!”

 

“Oh, Clark…” Martha said, reaching across the table to grab her son’s hand.

 

“And I was going to give her space, you know. I know Lois isn’t comfortable with… intimacy… But then we got another dream and I just… I can’t leave her alone but I don’t know if I should go to her. Everything’s just so confusing, Mom, my whole world got turned upside down and I just don’t know what to do.”

 

Martha sighed as she mulled over her son’s dilemma. She found herself wishing that Jonathan was here, knowing that he would have been much better equipped to handle this conversation. But he wasn’t here, so it was up to her to guide her son through the situation he found himself in. “You know, Clark, the first time your father proposed, I didn’t say yes.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Really. You have to understand that as much as I loved your father, marrying him would have changed my whole life, just like being with you will probably change Lois’. I was the city girl and I had to reconcile that identity with being a farmer’s wife. So I asked him to give me some space and let me think it over.”

 

“Did he?”

 

“He did, for a few days. And then he came to my apartment and stood outside my door until I let him in. He said he knew that he was asking a lot of me, but he said that while we’d never be rich in money, we’d be rich in love and that if he had to stand outside my door all night to prove it, he would.”

 

“What happened then?”

 

“Well, I let him inside and we talked about my fears and his fears and when he proposed again a week later, I said yes.”

 

“Do you think I should go to her?”

 

“I think that if you know how you feel, Clark, then you need to go to her and let her know and you need to work through whatever caused her to bolt the other night. She didn’t have an easy life growing up, you know. She had to grow up too fast and despite her amazing capacity to love, she never really had the opportunity to use it in her upbringing. I’m not surprised that she’s scared, Son, you just dropped on her that she’s your soulmate. That probably scared her more than finding out the truth about you.”

 

Clark nodded as he stood up. “I’m going to go talk to her.” He said, his jaw set in determination. “And if I have to camp outside her door like Dad threatened with you, then I will.”

 

With that, Clark sped out the door and Martha smiled at the space her son had occupied a second ago. She had always like Lois, and while she had wished that they had found each other without Jor-El’s interference, she liked the idea of Lois being to her son what Jonathan was to her. Call it mother’s intuition, but Martha just knew that everything would turn out okay.

 

~~~

 

Clark knocked on the door to her apartment and heard Lois shuffle to the door, peaking out the peephole before telling him to go away. “Lois, we need to talk.” He replied, “I’ve given you a few days, but no more.”

 

“We have nothing to talk about, Clark.”

 

“Really? I think we do.” When she didn’t reply, he sighed, pulling out his secret weapon. “Lois, if you don’t let me in I’m going to sit on the floor right outside your door until you do. There’s people in the Talon today, Lois, and if you don’t let me in, they’re going to wonder why I’m camped outside your door.”

 

Grumbling, Lois turned the latch and swung the door open to let Clark in. “You play dirty, Smallville.”

 

“It’s the only way to level the playing field with you sometimes, Lo.”

 

“Don’t call me that.” She replied, crossing her arms over her chest and moving to the other side of the room, putting as much space between her and Clark as was possible in the tiny apartment.

 

“You’ve never mind me calling you that before, Lo.”

 

“‘Lo’ is for my close friends only.” She stated, raising her chin defiantly into the air.

 

“Really, then what am I?” Clark asked, taking a determined step towards her. “What am I, Lo? What am I to you? Because to me, you’re becoming more than a friend. I’ve always cared about you, Lois, but I’ve seen a side of you these past few days that I’ve rarely seen before and it makes me want to explore what we could have. To me, you’re the girl that in all of my reincarnations accepted me, no questions asked. Who accepted the strange man and gave him hope that he could be loved, that they could find love together.”

 

“Don’t you see!” Lois shrieked. “That’s the problem! We shouldn’t have this knowledge of our past lives, we shouldn’t have any idea that we’re soulmates! Relationships don’t start this way, Clark, they don’t! If you wanted to be with me you’ve had almost two years to make that happen, but you’ve been mooning over Lana the entire time! So what made the difference now, Clark? Is it you succumbing to the inevitable of what your father told you, that we’re supposed to be together? What, Clark, what’s so different between us now?”

 

A moment of clarity suspended over Clark and it was as if he was looking at Lois clearly for the first time. “That’s what freaked you out, isn’t it? My past with Lana?”

 

“I can’t be left behind one more time, Clark, I can’t. I saw what you leaving in the last dream did to me, and I can’t let it happen again. I was always an afterthought for my father, Clark, I’m not going to be your second choice. I won’t be.” Lois said, her voice thick as she choked back tears. “And I’m not about to risk our friendship based on some dreams and Jor-El’s wisdom. What if you wake up a month from now and realise that the spark between us is just this whole, thrown together in the trenches thing? What if Lana comes back and wants to get back together with you? I won’t put myself through that, Clark, not again, not with you.”

 

It was silent as Clark contemplated her words. “Lois, I think you need to know the truth about my relationship with Lana. I was going to tell you the other night but you stopped me. I think you need to hear it, though.”

 

Taking her silence as permission, Clark launched into the tumultuous past few months of his life. “During the second meteor shower, my father requested that I begin my training. I refused however and as a result, he stripped me of my powers. For a few weeks, I was mortal and that’s when Lana and I got back together.”

 

“I don’t need to hear this.” Lois replied, brushing past Clark to get to her room.

 

She was stopped however by Clark grabbing onto her arm and pulling her close to him. “Yes, yes you do.” He objected, his gaze intense as he forced her to look him in the eyes. “Those few weeks of mortality were the only times that Lana and I were ever happy, truly happy, as a couple. But after the thrill of finally being normal, something that I thought I wanted for so long, died off, I wasn’t happy. Yeah, Lana and I were together and I was normal. I thought it was everything that I ever wanted, but it turned out, it wasn’t. I missed having my powers, I missed being able to save the day. And powers or no powers, I couldn’t stop being who I was.”

 

“You couldn’t stop being the hero.”

 

Clark shook his head. “No, I couldn’t. I died, during those weeks, Lois, shot while trying to save the day. The only reason I’m still here today is because Jor-El brought me back to life. But it wasn’t without a price. In exchange for saving my life, the life of someone I love would have to be taken.”

 

Lois gasped at the realisation, but Clark continued, not giving her time to interject. “The first time I lived the day my father died, Lana died instead.”

 

“Clark, you’re not making any sense.” Lois protested, trying to pull away. “How can you live a day twice?”

 

Clark continued without taking heed of her question. “My relationship with Lana was on the rocks at that point. I was back to lying to her about who I really was and she wasn’t happy with the part of me that I was willing to give her. So, in a fit of desperation, I thought that if I told her the truth about me that everything would be okay. Something in the back of my head warned me that the truth wouldn’t necessarily fix all of our problems, but I ignored it at the time. So I took Lana to the fortress, told her the truth about me, and I proposed. I didn’t see it then, the look in her eyes, but she was afraid of me. She was scared of who I really was, what I could do. I gave her some time to think it over and later, she accepted my proposal. I was so happy, I didn’t think about why she accepted my proposal and why she kept looking at me as if… As if she didn’t know me anymore. But she accepted and I thought that for once everything was going to be okay. 

 

“That night, she was killed driving away from Lex’s, who she was visiting instead of coming to the victory party, when a bus hit her. I didn’t stop to think why she was coming from Lex’s, I was just so angry at Jor-El, so furious at him for taking her away from me, that I acted rashly and asked him to send me back in time, determined that this time around, I could save her. I should have realised that everything going so wrong the first time around was sign that Lana and I weren’t meant to be, but I was stupid and blinded by my ignorant hatred of my biological father.”

 

Clark sighed at the memory of how rash he had been before continuing his story. “I did everything differently. I didn’t tell Lana about me and I didn’t take her to the fortress, but she still went to Lex’s that night. I managed to save her as she was driving home from being hit by the bus, but I couldn’t save my father and I almost couldn’t save you.”

 

“What do you mean that you almost couldn’t save me?” Lois asked, meeting Clark’s stare for the first time in the conversation.

 

“When I relived that day the second time around, Lois, I almost lost you. You didn’t come down the stairs when you were supposed to, so I ran up to check on you. You were unconscious on the floor in a pool of water and I managed to get to you just before you would have been electrocuted by the toaster. I didn’t clock at the time what that meant, I was just so glad that you didn’t die. And then that night, my father confronted Lionel and he had a heart attack. And I was powerless to do anything. Because of my selfishness and my anger at Jor-El, my father died. I didn’t realise the consequences of going back in time when I made the request, but I wish I did. If it wasn’t going to be Lana, it was going to be someone else.

 

“Lois, I cared about you before I even realised how important to me you were. It could have been Mom or Chloe, but instead, the person that almost died first after I saved Lana, was you. You were going to be sacrificed before even my father was. You have always been important to me, Lois, even when I was still too stubborn, too stuck on chasing after some stupid dream of normality, to admit it.”

 

“I… I don’t know what to say to that.” Lois stuttered.

 

“Well, I do. My mom told me a little while ago that maybe why I never tried telling Lana my secret again wasn’t just because I thought it was dangerous for her to know, but because deep down, I knew she wasn’t the one. I had loved Lana for so long that I created this image of her in my head that the real person could never live up to. She represented what I thought I wanted; To be normal. But she wasn’t happy with what I was willing to give her and despite all of her dishonesty, she couldn't handle me having a few secrets of my own. Even Chloe, the investigative journalist, knew to wait for me to trust her enough to tell her, not try to pry it out of me. Lana could never do that. She was only happy in our relationship when I was mortal, but Lois, I’m not mortal. I have abilities that other people couldn’t dream of and I will never be happy with a normal life, as much as I wish it was possible. And when I did tell Lana, she was afraid of me. I was too blinded by pseudo-happiness to see it, but she was. And you’re not Lois, you’ve never been afraid of me. Lana may have been my first love, Lois, but it was a disaster. We were never honest and we were always hurting each other. She’s not the one for me, Lois.”

 

“What would you do,” Lois asked, “what would you do if she came back right now and wanted to get together with you.”

 

“She has tried to get back together with me, Lois. Right after the hypnotist incident she tried to get back together with me and I told her no. I could have easily gotten back together with her, but I didn’t. And I didn’t realise it until I called my mom the other day, but it was probably because I knew that whatever toxic thing Lana and I had going on needed to end. We weren’t good together, Lois. I put her up on a pedestal and she asked things of me that I wasn’t comfortable giving her.

 

“Lois, you’ve always made me feel normal. Even not knowing my secret, I was always able to be myself around you. You made me feel normal despite the fact that I’m about the farthest thing from normal that there is. No one has ever been able to do that for me before, Lois, and you did it without even realising it. You’re exactly what I need in order to be who I am, but also not lose my mind. And I can honestly say, that even if you decide that you don’t want to be with me, if Lana came to me right now and begged to get back together, I’d turn her down. Because whatever we have going on between us, Lo, I only want it with you. One kiss and I already know I don’t want to kiss another woman for the rest of my life. Somehow, I just know that you’re it for me, Lois Lane, whether or not I’m it for you. There will never be someone else for me and if you don’t believe me when I say that, then I will spend the rest of my life trying to prove it to you.”

 

Clark’s chest heaved as he finished speaking, staring at Lois with such intensity that it made her spine tingle. He ran his hands through his hair, turning around and marching into the kitchen to splash some water on his face. “Fucking hell, Lois, what it is about you that makes me lose control like this?”

 

She approached him slowly, using each step to prepare herself for what she was about to say. “It’s probably the same thing about you that makes me run away scared.” Lois said softly, placing her hand on Clark’s shoulder and pushing him around to face her. “God help me, Clark, but I believe every last word you said. I believe it when you say that I’m it for you. But this… Us… It terrifies me. I never thought that I’d have with anyone what you are to me, Clark. You’re my best friend besides Chloe and honestly, I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you. You make me feel like I’m the only woman on Earth and it terrifies me.”

 

“Lois, I know this isn’t easy and that we were thrown into this because Jor-El messed with the natural path of fate, but this was always going to happen. You and me, Lois, this is it. We’re end game. Always have been. This is the reincarnation where there’s nowhere for me to run, Lo, no where for me to go home to.” Clark said, all of his emotions pouring out into his speech. “And I’m just as scared as you are because all these feelings for you just snuck up on me. Seeing you react so calmly to the dreams and to me, it touched something deep inside me. You were able to see a side of me that even my mom never saw. You’re able to voice my deepest fears without me saying a word. You terrify me, but in the best way possible. I’ve always been scared of being alone, of never finding someone who loves me for who I am, but when I’m with you, I know that that will never happen.

 

“I know we’ll be risking it all if we take this next step, but, Lois, there is no one else that I’d rather take this next step with.”

 

Lois breathed in deeply as she once again met Clark’s gaze. She was floored away by the intensity of it, by the love in it. “Can we take it slow? I believe you, Clark, and I want this, whatever this is. I just… I’m scared. I don’t have the best track record with men and I don’t want to fuck this up. Because if anyone could fuck up fate, it’s me.”

 

Clark chuckled, wrapping his arms around her waist and tugging her closer. “You aren’t going to fuck anything up, Lois. I won’t let you. Just like you won’t let me. We’re in this together, Clark and Lois.”

 

“Lois and Clark.” She corrected, a sly smile on her face. “Are we really doing this?” She asked hesitantly, wrapping her arms around his neck.

 

“I think we are.”

 

“This is going to surprise everyone we know.”

 

“Then let’s just keep it to ourselves for a while. Just you and me. Just Lois and Clark. How does that sound?”

 

“That sounds perfect.” Lois replied.

 

And then Clark kissed her again. And this time, Lois didn’t run away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait! Hope this makes up for it!


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lois meets Jor-El and she and Clark have their first official date.

A few days later, after some gentle words of encouragement from his mother before she returned to Topeka, Clark bundled Lois up and was taking her to see Jor-El. Lois was sweltering as she arrived at the farm, her current attire not being conducive to the late spring heat.

 

“Come on, Smallville, before I suffer from heatstroke here.” Lois ordered, tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for Clark to come downstairs.

 

Clark chuckled as he jogged down the stairs. “I’m coming, Lois.” He replied before quickly sweeping her into his arms, causing her to yelp in surprise. “You ready?” He asked and she nodded. Clark grinned at her before taking off at speed, little more than a blur appearing as they sped across the continent.

 

She stumbled as he set her down in the fortress, Clark steadying her with her hands. Lois looked around as she gathered her bearings amazed by the crystalline structure that surrounded her. “Wow.” She said softly.

 

“Lois Lane.” Jor-El boomed. “Welcome.”

 

“What the hell?” Lois asked, whipping her head around to find the source of the voice.

 

“Lois, meet my father, Jor-El.” Clark said, gesturing to the entire fortress. “His voice is embedded in the fortress but it doesn’t have a source. Believe me, I’ve tried to find it.”

 

“Uh…” Lois gulped, looking nervous for the first time that afternoon. “Hello, Jor-El. I guess you already know who I am. I mean, you’ve sent me all those weird dreams, or I guess they’d be better called memories…”

 

“I apologise for my intrusion into your life.” Jor-El replied, much to Clark disbelief. “However, it was necessary for you and Kal-El to realise your importance to each other before Brainiac acts.”

 

“Yeah, about that, what are we supposed to be doing?” Lois asked, hands on her hips. “I mean, I get that I’m an important piece of the puzzle, but you haven’t told Clark or I what’s going on really.”

 

“It is my belief, Lois Lane, that Brainiac will create a vessel for Zod. It is up to you two to stop him from being successful so that Zod will not come to Earth.”

 

“Do you know who the vessel is, Jor-El?” Clark spoke.

 

“Not yet, my son. You will have one last vision, and in that vision, it will be revealed with will be chosen as the vessel for Zod, until then, I ask that you live your lives as you normally would.”

 

“Yeah, like that will be easy.” Lois grumbled.

 

“Thank you, Father.” Clark replied, knowing from experience that Jor-El would not be forthcoming with more information. The lights in the crystal dimmed slightly as Clark turned around to Lois, shrugging his shoulders. “Well, that’s Jor-El.”

 

“No wonder you didn’t get along with him. He’s about as warm as the temperature here.”

 

Clark rolled his eyes. “You’re telling me. Apparently, the fortress only contains his knowledge, not his emotions. That was revealed to me around the time he told me that you were my soulmate. Then I had to reconcile the dictator of a father I had come to know with the idea of a man who loved his son enough to save his life and send him to a strange world.”

 

“That couldn’t have been easy.” Lois replied, thinking of her own relationship with her father. She knew that her father only wanted the best for her, even if it didn’t come across very well. But at least she had memories of the general from before everything went south. All that Clark had was the knowledge that he was sent here to be saved and an emotionless artificial intelligence system to talk to.

 

“It’s not.” He replied. “But I’m working on it.”

 

She looked up at him, bumping his shoulder as she decided to drop the subject of Clark’s relationship with his biological father. “Well, I believe that you promised me a date tonight, didn’t you, Smallville.”

 

“That I did.” Clark grinned as she jumped into his arms.

 

“Well, come on then, I’m ready for another trip on the Clark Kent express. After all, I need some time to get ready if I’m going to knock your socks off tonight.”

 

“Lois, you’ve been doing that since the moment I met you.” He laughed, her reply lost in the wind as he sped them back towards Kansas.

 

~~~

 

Lois flitted around the apartment as she got ready for her date, a cloud of perfume and hairspray following her. Clark was taking her to the spring carnival in Granville, knowing that if they went anywhere in Smallville, the news of their budding romance would be all over town by the next day. And despite the fact that they were just going to a carnival and that it was Clark, her best friend, that she was going with, Lois couldn’t help but be nervous.

 

This was it. This was the relationship that she wanted to last. Jor-El’s talk of them being soulmates did little to reassure Lois that she and Clark were going to last. They had so much going against them. Their combined histories didn’t exactly pave the way towards a healthy relationship and the fate of the world was potentially depending on them getting together.

 

“Yeah, no pressure at all, Jor-El,” Lois snorted, “I can totally just go about my life normally right now.” She slid into her flats as she grabbed her earrings from her dresser, securing them in her ears. How could she pretend that everything was normal when the world was about to be potentially taken over by an evil alien general? How the hell did Clark walk around like nothing was wrong when he dealt with stuff like this on a daily basis?

 

One thing for sure was once Lois had been let into the secret that was Clark Kent’s true life, she understood his need to brood a hell of a lot more. She still didn’t like it, but it was much more understandable.

 

“Lo?” Clark called as he slipped into her apartment through the window, wary of there still being customers in the coffee shop below.

 

“Coming, Smallville!” Lois exclaimed as she shrugged into her denim jacket before smoothing out the skirt of her dress. “Okay, I’m ready.” She breathed as she stepped into the living room.

 

“Whoa.” Clark gasped, hand reaching behind him to rub his neck as he looked her up and down. Gone was Lois’ normal uniform of jeans and a tank top, and in its place a white lace dress. “You look amazing, Lois.”

 

She blushed in response, reaching up to grab the bouquet of lilies that were now hanging loosely in Clark’s grip. “Thank you.” She replied. “And thank you for the lilies, they’re my favourite.”

 

“I asked Chloe. I told her that I had pissed you off and needed to beg for forgiveness so she didn’t get suspicious of me buying you flowers.”

 

Lois let out a giggle at his admission, linking her arm in his after placing the flowers in a vase. “Come on, handsome, time for you to show this city girl what a country carnival is like.”

 

They first went to the games, Lois’ competitive streak taking over as she won a stuffed dog at the ring toss, presenting him to Clark with a flourish. “You can name this one Krypto, Clarkie.” She said, pausing as she tilted her head in the air. “Wow, that name makes so much more sense now that I think about it.”

 

Clark chuckled, grabbing the plush toy from her and leading her over to the bumper cars. “Say, what you want, Lois, but I still stand by that name.”

 

“Oh, yeah, because you could totally explain it by saying that it’s because how we found him was so cryptic.” She rolled her eyes, shoving her hip into his side to further her point. “Sometimes Clark, I really wonder how you’ve kept your secret for so long, because you suck with excuses.”

 

He shrugged as he paid the attendant the allotted amount of tokens. “What can I say, Lois, people see what they want to see.”

 

“Oh yeah?” She smirked. “Well, what you’re going to see right now is me beating you at the bumper cars.”

 

Clark laughed as Lois ran to the car of her choice before quickly getting into a car of his own. True to her words, Lois led a one woman attack on Clark, the two of them battling it out on the carnival game. She was vicious in her attack, pushing him into the corner where he had no choice but to surrender.

 

“Alright, alright, I give up!”

 

Lois beamed victoriously, giving a little victory dance as the ride ended and they walked towards the other carnival rides. “So what does the winner get in return for being so cunning?” She asked him, leaning up against his shoulder as they walked, her hands wrapped around his elbow.

 

“Hm… I don’t know,” Clark said as he stopped walking, looking down at Lois with a gleam in his eyes. “Why don’t you tell me?”

 

“Well…” Lois began, pretending that she was actually contemplating her response. “I think that the winner should get a kiss from the loser.”

 

“Is that so, Miss Lane?”

 

“It is indeed, Mr. Kent.”

 

Clark grinned as placed his hand at the nape of her neck and pulled her into him. Her body melded into his as he kissed her gently, mindful of the families with children milling about. Lois was less cautious however, snaking her fingers into his hair and deepening the kiss. She whined as he pulled away and steered them onto another ride, this time the graviton.

 

“There are children around, Miss Lane, the rest will have to wait for later.” Clark chided.

 

“I’ll be holding you to that, Mr. Kent.” Lois warned, causing Clark to chuckle as they were strapped into the ride.

 

Lois laughed as the ride began, enjoying the whirling motion as the centrifugal force that was so central to the ride caused her to press up against Clark. He smiled at her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into his side. The ride ended too soon for them, but they remained in the same position, Lois cuddled into Clark’s side as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

 

Clark looked surprised as Lois squealed in delight before breaking out of his hold and running towards the now short line to the ferris wheel. Clark gulped as he looked up to the top of it, knowing that he had no reason to be afraid. After all, he was invulnerable. However, the definition of a phobia is an irrational fear. His was just more irrational than the average person’s.

 

“Can we, Clark, please?” Lois begged, running back to him and jumping up and down. “Please, please, please, I haven’t been on one since I was a little girl.”

 

“I don’t know, Lois.” He said warily, once again eyeing the steel structure.

 

Lois quirked her head at him, a knowing smile on her face. “Why, Clark Joseph Kent, are you afraid of heights?”

 

“Maybe…” He muttered in reply, looking down at the ground.

 

“Please? A little exposure therapy could help. And once we’re off we can get funnel cake…” She bribed, pressing herself against him to further her cause.

 

Clark groaned as he threw his head back, knowing that he was going to give into her. However, he could strike his own end of the deal. “Fine. But only if afterwards we go on the carousel.”

 

“Smallville.” Lois groaned and Clark smirked, remembering her rant on carousels being boring, pointless rides that had taken place earlier that evening.

 

“A deal’s a deal, Lois.” 

 

“Fine.” She agreed. “But we’re going on the damn ferris wheel right now.”

 

Clark’s legs were shaking as they got into a carriage, the ride jolting slightly as they began their ascent. He looked at the ground, hating how it got smaller and smaller the further up they went.

 

“You know, you’re the last person I expected to be afraid of heights. I mean, you’re invulnerable. Hey, maybe this is why you can’t fly by your own will.”

 

“Probably.” He wheezed, trying to calm himself down but failing miserably.

 

Lois quickly noticed, grabbing his face and making him look at her instead of the ground. “Hey, Smallville, don’t think about how hight up we are. Just think about you and me, here together, on our first official date. Okay?”

 

“Okay.” He replied, his breathing still shallow as they reached the top of the wheel and began to move downwards.

 

Realising that Clark was still thinking about the height, Lois did the only this she could think of to distract him. Her hands still on the sides of his head, she pulled him into her and pressed her lips against his, nibbling at his lower lip. Slowly but surely, Clark responded to her, no longer thinking about the height but instead about the girl in front of him. His right hand rested on her thigh while the other moved to pull her closer, closing any remaining space between their bodies.

 

Their moment was interrupted however by the awkward cough of the ride attendant. Clark looked at the young teenager sheepishly as he escorted Lois off the ride and dragged her over to the funnel cakes. “Jesus, Lois, you’re going to be the death of me.”

 

“And what a fun death that will be.” She laughed, punching Clark in the arm. “Now come on, let’s get me some funnel cake and then I believe that I owe you a ride on the carousel.”

 

Clark jogged to catch up with Lois in line, gripping her lightly by her elbow and turning her towards him. “Lois?”

 

“Yes, Clark?”

 

“Thanks for that back there.”

 

She grinned, once again socking him in the arm before going to retrieve the funnel cake she had ordered. “Of course, Smallville. After all, what are soulmates for?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've always wanted to go on a date to a carnival and well... This was the result. Shameless fluff with little plot. You're welcome.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clark and Lois enjoy a day at the lake while news of their relationship slowly spreads.

Spring was slowly turning into summer, and Lois, who had felt trapped indoors by the Kansas winter, had decided that now that their classes were over for the year, they would take advantage of their newfound freedom and go to the lake. Clark had packed them a picnic and Lois found herself chuckling at the clichéd date she found herself on. First the carnival, now a picnic. But Lois didn’t mind the old-fashioned romance however, knowing that that was how Clark was raised. So with only minimal jokes, she sat across from him on the checkered blanket, exchanging tales of their respective childhoods.

 

“And so there I was, refusing to leave the tank and the general refusing to let me go to the city on my own with a military escort. Apparently my argument that driving the tank would be just as effective didn’t fly with the general, but I was too stubborn to give in. So there we were, at an impasse, but I forgot to bring water with me and those tanks can get really hot. I must have passed out because the next thing I know, I woke up in my bed and the general told me that he’d arranged for the wife of his sergeant to take me into the city the next day.”

 

“Lois,” Clark laughed, “have you ever not been stubborn?”

 

“Nope.” She shook her head. “Believe me, there were many times that my father wished that I took a little less after him in the personality department.”

 

“I don’t.” He replied, popping a strawberry into her mouth before she could protest. “Without your stubborn streak my life would be far less interesting.” Lois’ reply was garbled as she chewed the strawberry, causing Clark to chuckle as he ate a strawberry of his own. “Tell me about some of the other trouble that I’m sure you got into growing up.”

 

She glared at him as she swallowed the remains of the strawberry. “Fine, but this one is quid pro quo, Smallville.”

 

“Deal.” Clark grinned, leaning back and watching as Lois’ dived into another adventurous story, her face animated. It was moments like this where he appreciated how lucky he was to have found her. The sun caused her chocolate hair, which he had managed to convince her to keep, to shine, her smile rivalling the brightness of the sun, at least in Clark’s eyes, as she happily chatted on. She was the most beautiful woman and he thought himself incredibly lucky that she decided to give him a chance, despite all their reservations and the weird start to their budding relationship. Lois Lane was one of a kind, and she was all his.

 

“Well,” Lois began, “my friend Wes and I broke into the general’s liquor cabinet and snuck into one of the warehouses to drink it. We were sitting on top of a crate and well, Wes could never hold his liquor as well as I could. So there we were, drinking whisky out of the bottle and he decided to kiss me. I was so shocked, I kicked him off the crate and he fell to the ground and ended up with a scar on his forehead. Never tried to kiss me again though.”

 

Clark’s head fell back, his chest heaving with laughter. “Somehow, Lois, that is exactly how I pictured your first kiss going down.”

 

“Well, what about you, Smallville, who was your first kiss?”

 

“Chloe.” Clark replied, ignoring how Lois’ eyebrows raised in shock. “She had just moved to town and we were in my loft after I had shown her around the farm. She had wanted to know what a real, working farm looked like.” He rolled his eyes at the memory. “Anyway, we were just standing there, and the next thing I know, she planted one on me. I didn’t exactly know what to say, so she explained that she wanted to get that out of the way, so that now we could be friends.”

 

“What’s with you and your loft, Smallville?”

 

“I don’t know, Lo, why don’t you tell me?” He replied in a low growl and crawled over to her, forcing her to fall back against the blanket. “You didn’t seem to mind being there so much last night until a call from a certain cousin interrupted a very heavy make-out session.”

 

Lois let out an involuntary whimper as Clark pressed up against her, dropping his head to gently nip at her throat. “Maybe… Maybe you should refresh my memory.” She said breathlessly, a gasp catching in her throat as Clark sucked on her pulse point.

 

“Maybe I should.” Clark stated before capturing her lips with his.

 

He pressed his lips eagerly into hers, one arm supporting his weight as Lois ran her hands through his hair. His free arm went to wrap around her waist and pull her body taught against his, the friction it created causing her to moan quietly into his mouth. In response, Lois found herself wrapping her leg around Clark’s, determined to pull him down to her. He refused to budge however, pulling away from her just as he heard her breathing hitch.

 

She sat up, glaring at Clark, who sat with a triumphant smirk on his face. Her lips were swollen from the kiss, a red spot remaining from where he had kissed her neck. “That, was a tease of a refresher, Clark Kent.” Lois pouted, crossing her arms and huffing.

 

“Well, I did learn from the best.” He joked, laughing as Lois growled before launching herself at him.

 

Clark jumped up, using just a bit of super speed as he ran away from Lois, who chased after him while shouting about what she would do when she got her hands on him. “You’d have to catch me first, Lo!” He shouted back.

 

Letting out an indignant shriek, Lois tackled him the ground with one last burst of speed. She stared down at him from where she straddled his waist, lips ticking into a smirk as she went to tease him as he did her. She ground down into him as her lips travelled from the base of his throat to the soft spot behind his ear, delighting in the soft groan her movement elicited. She moved to his lips, tracing her tongue along the boundary of them until Clark opened his mouth to let her in. Tongue now battling tongue, Lois waited for the moment that Clark attempted to gain control of the situation before she made her final move. As his hands slowly moved down her back to rest on her hips, Lois bolted away from him, a self-satisfied grin on her face. “Who’s the tease now, Smallville?” She crowed as she walked away, hips swinging in temptation.

 

Clark remained stunned on the ground, staring at her as she sauntered away before the need for revenge kicked in. Clark growled as he got up and chased after her, capturing her by pulling her back flush against his chest. Lois yelped as she realised that she was now at his mercy, Clark picking her up around the waist and swinging her around, her legs flailing in the air as they spun. “Smallville!” Lois screamed, the world blurring around her as Clark twirled them both around. “Put me down!”

 

“Never!” Clark laughed, but stopped nonetheless. He pushed her hair out of her face as he repositioned her so that her legs were now wrapped around his waist. He hitched her up, his hands supporting her on her thighs. “Never.” He replied, this time seriously. Beaming down at him, Lois dipped her head to meet his, this time kissing him without either of them pulling away.

 

~~~

 

Unknown to Lois and Clark, they had had a silent observer of their afternoon of fun. Lana had arrived at the Kent farm to talk to Clark, only to find Martha home for a break from Topeka. After a few minutes of catching up, Lana had asked where Clark was, Martha hesitantly replying that he was at the lake. She hadn’t missed the look of pity in Martha’s eyes as she said that, however Lana had chosen to ignore it, thinking that she had possibly misinterpreted the gaze.

 

It was clear now however, that Martha had known exactly who Clark was at the lake with. He had moved on from her, with Lois of all people. Just watching them interact had been a knife in the heart for Lana. He had never been so carefree with her; Had never kissed her like that, teased her like that. They had never played around like Clark and Lois currently were.

 

Confusion and disbelief shrouding her judgement, Lana drove to the Daily Planet, hoping that Chloe could bring some insight into the situation. Rushing down the stairs into the bullpen, Lana quickly located Chloe and pulled her to the side of the room. “Did you know?” Lana asked insistently, Chloe looking at her with confusion.

 

“And hello to you too, Lana.” Chloe chuckled. “And what are you referring to?”

 

“Clark and Lois.” Lana said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Did you know about them?”

 

“Lois and Clark? Lana, I’m not following.”

 

“I saw them together, at the lake. I went to Smallville to talk to Clark and ran into Mrs. Kent at the farm and she told me that he was at the lake. I didn’t think too seriously about it at the time, but she almost sounded like she was sorry for me. But then I got to the lake and I saw them together. They were having a picnic—“

 

“They’re friends, Lana, they’re allowed to hang out together.” Chloe placated, rolling her eyes andtrying to understand where Lana was going with her rant.

 

“They weren’t just eating, Chloe.” Lana replied, annoyed at Chloe’s condescending tone. “I know what I saw. They were teasing each other and kissing and—“

 

“Wow. Wait.” Chloe asked, her eyes widening. “Lois and Clark were kissing? Lois? And Clark? My cousin and the farm boy? Are we talking about the same people here?”

 

“So I take it you didn’t know either.” Lana replied snidely.

 

Chloe blinked. Clearly, she had some interrogating to do when she next went to Smallville. This had to be somehow related to the dreams. Or at least precipitated by them. “No, I didn’t.” Chloe replied slowly. “But, I mean, you and Clark are broken up, Lana. He’s allowed to move on.”

 

“Not with Lois.” Lana replied haughtily, crossing her arms.

 

“Excuse me?” Chloe exclaimed, barely managing to keep her voice level. “That’s my cousin that you’re talking about. Any man would be lucky to be with her.” She placed her hands on her hips as she finished speaking, daring Lana to say another word.

 

Lana sighed in return. “I’m sorry, Chloe, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just, Lois is so different from me. I didn’t think that she’d be Clark’s type.”

 

Chloe tilted her head to the side as she contemplated her friend’s words. “Did you ever think that maybe that’s why it works?” She asked. “Look, Lana, you lost your claim to Clark a while ago, and last I checked, you were getting rather friendly with a certain bald billionaire. Or am I misinterpreting the bouquet of roses that were delivered to our dorm the other week?”

 

“Lex and I are just friends.” Lana maintained. “I’m sorry, I guess it just came as a shock. I mean, Clark’s loved me for so long…”

 

“He’s moved on Lana. Maybe you should too. You can’t have expected him to wait around for you forever.” Chloe said softly.

 

Lana didn’t reply, instead pursing her lips together and leaving.

 

Chloe sighed as she watched Lana’s retreating figure. She didn’t know what her friend wanted from her, but she had a feeling that what she just said wasn’t it. She may not know what was currently going on with her cousin and her best friend, that wasn’t a lie. However, she was going to find out. Whatever problem Lana was currently dealing with, Chloe would deal with it once she got the full picture of whatever Lois and Clark were up to.

 

It looked like she was taking an unexpected trip to Smallville.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I know that Lana's character is important to Clark's development blah blah blah but she really was around too long on the show (probably because the writers loved the actress so much) and while I don't completely hate her character I always thought that she had a bit of the 'spoiled princess wants things her way or else' type of character in her so this was how I was choosing to portray her in this particular story (and as fun as it was to write her like this, I don't think she'll always be completely like this in other stories that I have planned). Also, I totally think that they had Chloe hung up on Clark way too long in the show and should have focused on her being the supporting friend BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT SHE IS, SHE'S HIS BEST FRIEND AND CONFIDENT TAKE AWAY ALL THE JEALOUSY AND UNREQUITED LOVE I MEAN JESUS. Like Clark Kent's love of his life in my opinion will always be Lois Lane so if you're going to do romance and Superman focus on Lois Lane, okay?
> 
> Okay, rant done.
> 
> Also, sorry for not posting for a while! My friend is still in town and I'm busy but hopefully this will hold you guys over until I can get the next chapter posted, probably sometime next week!


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe finds out about Clark and Lois' relationship and the reason for the dreams.

Chloe sat in the kitchen as she talked to Martha, catching up on the Senator’s activities while she talked about school and her job at the Planet. She was wondering when Clark and Lois wouldn’t be returning from their escapade to the lake, but Martha didn’t seem at all concerned, so Chloe didn’t question that the sun was beginning to set from the sky and there was still no sign of her best friend and cousin. Clearly Martha was in the know, that Chloe had no doubt of. There had been a certain gleam to the woman’s eyes when Chloe had mentioned that she wanted to talk to Lois and Clark that had let Chloe know that Martha knew what she was going to ask.

 

Clearly, nothing escaped the Kent Matriarch. It probably helped that she was home for recess, but Chloe had a feeling that Martha probably knew what was going on before even Clark did. Or at the very least, Martha hadn’t been surprised when she found out about the shift in Clark and Lois’ relationship, even as everyone else, including the two involved, seemed to be. Mothers just had a way, it seemed.

 

Just as Chloe was about to ask Martha a few harmless questions about her errant son’s whereabouts, the duo in question walked through the door carrying the remains of their picnic, Clark playfully poking Lois’ sides and causing her to let out a girlish shriek that Chloe hadn’t believed her rough and tumble cousin was capable of creating. 

 

“Smallville!” Lois scolded, her gentle smile betraying her anger. “I told you to stop poking me or I’m going to have to punish you.”

 

“But, Lo, your reaction is so great!”

 

“Keep that up, and the closest you’re getting to me again is my fist in your face.”

 

“We both know that wouldn’t do anything, Lois.”

 

Lois was about to reply, caustic remark poised on her tongue, when Chloe cleared her throat, raising an eyebrow as Lois and Clark finally looked outside of each other to realise that they had company.

 

“Chloe!” Lois exclaimed, rushing forward to hug her cousin. “I thought you wouldn’t be able to make it back to town for another few weeks!”

 

“I wasn’t.” Chloe said, her voice measured. “But then I got a curious visit from Lana and had to come and see if the rumours were true.”

 

“Lana?” Lois asked.

 

“Rumors?” Clark asked at the same time as Lois, the two glancing at each other before directing their attention back to Chloe.

 

Martha stepped forward, raising her hand guiltily into the air. “I’m afraid that’s my fault. Lana stopped by and asked where Clark was and I said he was at the lake. I didn’t think that she’d actually go there.”

 

“Oh, she did.” Chloe smirked. “And she was quite overwhelmed by the alleged amount of kissing that was going on.”

 

“We’re sorry, Chlo.” Lois apologised. “It’s just that it happened so fast—“

 

“And there’s so many circumstances surrounding it—“ Clark continued.

 

“We just wanted it to be just us for a little bit.” Lois finished, before nodding her head towards where Martha stood. “Okay, just us and Mrs. Kent. But I can’t help it if Clark here needs his mother’s advice in order to understand the opposite sex.” Clark looked as if he wanted to refute that claim, but his mother’s knowing look quickly killed the argument before it began.

 

“You have nothing to apologise for, I get it.” Chloe said. “I mean, you two getting together, this is big news. I mean, it’s you two. You guys have constantly fought since the moment you met. I just wish that I was filled in when this happened because I have a feeling it had to do with those weird dreams that you two were having.”

 

“Well, are having.” Lois shrugged. “Jor-El said to expect one more. Anyway, that’s not the point. Smallville, care to take over here?”

 

Clark sighed, guiding Chloe back to the kitchen stool to sit down. “You’re going to want to be sitting for this.” He explained, his cryptic words making the gears in Chloe’s head churn.

 

Slowly, Clark explained what he learned from Jor-El about reincarnation and soulmates, Chloe soaking in everything he told her. When he got to the part of Lois being his soulmate, Chloe gasped, unable to restrain her surprise. She had always noticed the spark between her cousin and her best friend, despite both of them denying any attraction to each other. She just never thought that that meant that they were soulmates. He then explained how in the original timeline, he and Lois weren’t supposed to get together for several more years, but because of the threat of Brainiac, Jor-El interfered, knowing that Clark needed Lois by his side if he was going to be successful.

 

“Wow.” Chloe said as she exhaled. “I mean, that’s huge. No wonder you two needed a bit of time to adjust to this.”

 

“I mean, we had to make sure that this wasn’t just because of everything Jor-El told us and was because we actually wanted to be together you know?” Clark said.

 

“I mean, I was dealing with everything about Clark and Brainiac on top of being told that I was Smallville here’s soulmate? Well, let’s just say that I needed some convincing that this wasn’t a fluke and that Clark wouldn’t be leaving me at the first sign of the pink princess back in his life.”

 

Clark sent a glare at Lois as she said that. “It also required someone fighting against her tightly wound bolt reflex.” He accused.

 

“Yeah, yeah,” Lois dismissed, rolling her hand in the air as she waved off his accusation. “We both had some issues that needed to be dealt with, but we dealt with them and now here we are. I guess it isn’t much of a secret anymore if Lana knows. Might as well tell the whole town now while we’re at it.”

 

“So no one suspects anything unusual about you two going out on dates?” Chloe asked, in disbelief over the small town not noticing the change in their relationship.

 

Lois chuckled. “Clark always picked me up from the window of my apartment and we either left town or went somewhere where people weren’t likely to be. And it’s not like this has been happening long. It’s only been what, three weeks?”

 

“Almost four.” Clark supplied. “So it’s still fairly new. We’re sorry we didn’t tell you but—“

 

“No, I get it, you guys, I do. What you’re dealing with is life changing. I’m not surprised that you’re taking your time to get used to it all.” Chloe said. “But can I remain in the loop from now on? I’m a journalist guys, I need to know the fully story.”

 

“Will do, Chlo.” Lois smiled before turning her attention to Clark. “And I guess now that all the important people know, you might as well drop me off at my door tonight, rather than the window, space boy.”

 

Chloe furrowed her brow at the new nickname, her eyebrows raising in shock when she heard Clark’s bold reply. “Lois,” Clark grinned, “if you really wanted to get the news out, I could just kiss you right in the middle of the Talon. That would get the news spreading real fast.”

 

“Like you’d have the guts to.” Lois joked, almost as if she knew that that’s what Clark was going to say.

 

“You wanna bet, Lane?” Clark smirked, taking a step closer so that he towered over Lois.

 

“Don’t place a bet you can’t handle, Kent.” Lois replied, Chloe staring at them in shock as she watched them interact.

 

Chloe sent a furtive glance at Martha, and noticed the woman wasn’t perturbed at all with how boldly the pair flirted. Apparently, this had become the new normal. Their banter had always bordered on flirting, but this however… This was something else. “Okay, you two.” She interrupted, figuratively and literally putting space between them as she placed a hand on both their shoulders. “Now that all the deep, dark secrets are out there, what do you say we all go catch dinner together before I have to head back to the city, okay?”

 

They both quickly agreed, before telling Martha that they’d had dinner with her another night. The trio headed out, Chloe feeling oddly like a third wheel even if she was having dinner with her cousin and best friend. All awkwardness aside, it was nice, if a bit sickening, watching them interact. Both seemed more carefree, not bogged down by their respective insecurities. Lois was more open with Clark than Chloe had ever seen her with a boyfriend, and Clark had reached a level of comfort around Lois that he had never had in any of his attempts with Lana. Chloe wasn’t normally one to believe in soulmates, but she was willing to make an exception for Lois and Clark. Their interactions couldn’t be explained by simple physical attraction and mutual understanding. No, there was something else at work here, something that even the normally cynical cub reporter had to admit seemed to look a lot like the crafty hand of fate.

 

Chloe wasn’t going to lie to herself however. It was hard, seeing Lois and Clark together. She had just adjusted to Lois being let in on the Kent Family Secret when all of a sudden, Lois went from the status of secret friend to soulmate of one Clark Kent. It was something the younger Chloe had always wished for, but never received; Clark had just never had feelings for her beyond friendship. And while Chloe had thought that she had ridden herself of any lingering feelings for her high school crush, clearly, they still existed somewhere inside her as she fought against bubbling feelings of jealousy. She would deal with it herself though, as besides being his best friend, she had no claim to Clark. He and Lois… Well, they just looked right. And Chloe wasn’t about to allow her ancient feelings of unrequited love get in the way of her best friend and her cousin’s happiness; Especially considering everything that had been dropped on them in the past month. If anyone deserved to finally be happy, it was them.

 

So Chloe bid them goodnight, leaving them to bask in the warmth of a new relationship, cuddling in the corner booth of the Talon. She passed Lex on the way out of the establishment, giving him a curt nod before making her way to her car. Yeah, everyone was going to know about the new romance very soon.

 

Lex entered the Talon, intending just to collect the books from the current manager, but paused when he caught sight of Clark in his periphery vision. He was going to just greet his sometimes friend, however the completed image in front of him caused him to stop in his tracks. Lois had curled into Clark’s chest as he stroked her hair, presumably whispering sweet nothings in her ear. It was a sight the billionaire had never expected to see; The brash army brat seemingly smitten with the shy farm boy.

 

Intrigued, Lex stepped forward in greeting. “Clark, Lois, fancy seeing you two here.”

 

The pair looked up almost guiltily, both glancing at the other as Lois extricated herself from Clark’s grasp. “Lex,” Clark greeted cooly. “Here to pick up the books?”

 

“I am, yeah.” He replied, looking curiously between the couple, trying to gauge their facial expressions. Neither seemed perturbed by being caught in an intimate moment, more of upset that their alone time had been interrupted. “How long has this been going on?”

 

“About a month.” Lois replied, settling herself back into an upright position, Clark’s arm still around her shoulders.

 

“Ah, still in the honeymoon stage of it then, where everything is new and exciting.”

 

Clark’s gaze hardened at Lex’s words, his voice measured as he replied to his once friend. “You know, Lex, my father always said that with the right girl, you never have to fully leave the honeymoon stage.”

 

Lex stiffened at the ice that had worked it’s way into the normally affable man’s voice. Lionel may have not taught Lex many valuable life lessons, but he had taught Lex to notice when he was being dismissed. And it was very had to interpret the mixture of antipathy and indifference in Clark’s voice as anything but a dismissal. “Well then,” Lex said, “I guess I’ll be on my way then. Congrats,you two; You make a lovely couple.”

 

“Thank you,” Lois replied, watching at Lex’s figure retreated into the backroom. “Well, I guess everyone well and truly knows now, Smallville.”

 

Clark sighed, helping Lois out of the bench and walking her to her door. “I guess so.” He replied, gently kissing her goodnight as she opened her door. “I’ll see you tomorrow?” He asked, pulling back slightly as to head home.

 

“Actually,” Lois interrupted, grabbing him by the back of his shirt and pulling him back towards her. Clark stumbled at the movement, bracing himself by placing his hands on the door so that herhead was trapped between them. “I was hoping you could stay the night.”

 

“Are you sure?” He asked, voice dropping in case Lex came out of the back room.

 

“I don’t expect anything to happen, Clark.” She replied, soothingly caressing his arm. “I know you haven’t done anything when you’ve had your abilities. And I’m willing to wait until you’re ready. Though let the record show, that I am fully ready and am quite looking forward to the idea of claiming a first of sorts with you.”

 

“Lois.” Clark scolded.

 

“Oh, lighten up, boy scout. Anyway, it’s just. I sleep better with you next to me and I’m sure your mom won’t mind if I steal you for the night.” She said, referring to the nights that they had fallen asleep on the couch together while watching a movie.

 

“Well,” Clark teased, rubbing his nose against Lois’. “Who am I to deny a lady a good night’s sleep.”

 

Lois beamed at her minor victory as they entered her apartment and proceeded to get ready for bed, Clark stripping down to his boxers while Lois changed into a pair of sleep shorts and an oversized t-shirt. They climbed into Lois’ bed that was far too short for Clark’s frame, his legs having to cross over hers in order to have enough room.

 

Lois giggled at the tangle of limbs before turning over and facing Clark, gently pecking his lips before reaching behind her to turn off the light. “Goodnight, Smallville.”

 

“Goodnight, Lo.” Clark mumbled, pulling her into his arms and allowing the steady rhythm of her heartbeat to slowly lull him to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked the chapter! After this (and the next one) a lot of stuff is going to be happening in rapid succession, so keep an eye out for the next update! I'll try to be consistent in my updating!


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New York City, New York

**2010**

**New York City, New York, United States of America**

 

Clark’s boots led out a soft thud as he landed on the carpeted hotel floor. He tried to be as quiet as possible as he changed out of his suit and into his boxers from earlier. Lois would kill him if she caught him in the act of returning from a save considering her not-so-subtle threat of what would happen if he was Superman this weekend. She kept telling him that he needed to learn how to take time off, considering that that’s what the league existed for, and that this weekend would be perfect practice.

 

However, it was easier said than done.

 

Tip-toeing across the room, Clark snuck back under the covers, smiling as a sleeping Lois unconsciously cuddled into his warm body. It was moments like this that Clark lived for, moments where Lois was at peace, not cursing out some corrupt government official or intimidating one of the league members to break protocol so that she could contact Clark while he was on a mission. He chuckled silently, hoping that the vibrations of his chest didn’t wake her up as he thought about the various scenarios in which the intrepid reporter had scared even the most intimidating of foes. Clark often joked that it was a good thing that she was dating Superman, otherwise her medical insurance bill would be significantly higher. Lois would always reply that if she took less risks, she wouldn’t be the woman that he fell in love with.

 

And well, Clark wasn’t about to deny that.

 

Lois murmured as she rubbed her face against his chest, peaking one eye open to look up at him. Yawning, she sat up, stretching her arms out above her head as she forced herself to wake up in spite of the early hour.

 

“I thought I felt you leave.” She commented, her voice still thick with sleep.

 

“Sorry,” Clark blushed, “I know that you said that this was a duty free weekend but—“

 

“I know, I know. You can’t help yourself. I won’t get mad at you as long as you don’t bolt out of the award ceremony tomorrow. It’s not every day that the Daily Planet’s top investigative team wins a Pulitzer.”

 

“I promise.”

 

“Of course, that’s baring any tsunamis in Tahiti or earthquakes in California.”

 

“Or hostile alien invasions.” Clark amended, remembering the various incidences that had caused him to miss important events in the past.

 

He was just lucky that he was dating such an amazing woman who could deal with his second job and double life. She truly was his soulmate.

 

“So what was it this time?” She asked, leaning herself back against Clark’s broad chest.

 

“Nothing too serious, just another one of Lex’s schemes to hurt Superman. The Flash came and helped out and little does Luthor know that Superman’s suit is lined with a lead polymer.”

 

“Why, who was the genius who came up with that idea?”

 

Clark smirked at her false question. “Why, I think you know her.”

 

“Oh yeah? Describe her to me.”

 

“Well,” Clark started, kissing the top of her head. “She’s this incredibly successful journalist, very smart and cunning, not to mention beautiful and downright sexy. And on top of all that, she’s the love of Superman’s life.”

 

“Sounds like an amazing woman.”

 

“And she had no idea how amazing she is.”

 

Seemingly satisfied with his answer, Lois nodded sleepily, tucking her head back into his warm chest and wrapping her arms around his body. He pulled her in closer to him as he felt her slowly fall back asleep, relishing the feel of her body, still naked from their earlier activities, pressing against him. It was moments like this where Clark wished that he could freeze time and stay like this forever. He couldn’t, he knew that, but that didn’t stop him from occasionally wishing that he could lock him and Lois away in a room forever and never have to leave.

 

Her heartbeat one that Clark now recognised as signally that Lois was fast asleep, he risked looking over to the hidden compartment of his suitcase. Bruce had designed it with Lois in mind, and Clark had hidden the ring there as soon as he had bought it several months ago. He had been trying since then to propose, but nothing with the two of them ever came easily.

 

The general had long ago given his blessing, and in the time since then, Clark had planned and failed to complete several proposals. They were always interrupted by something, be it a lead or an emergency, that cut the evening short.

 

The first attempt was a romantic dinner followed by a moonlit stroll. It was working well until Lois got a call from a source. This resulted in them spending a vast majority of the night facing the wrong end of a gun. However in the end, they did get the story of a lifetime, it in fact being the one that got them their first joint award and their first ever Pulitzer for either of them.

 

The second attempt was just going to be a cosy evening at home, Clark hoping that if they didn’t leave the house, maybe he could actually pop the question. He had just been about to ask her over a glass of wine while the snuggled in front of the fireplace when he got the alert that there were raging wildfires in Australia. And well, that had thoroughly killed the mood and resulted in Clark being gone for one long week.

 

There had been several more attempts since then, and it had gotten to the point that Clark almost asked Lois in the middle of one of their classic arguments about her safety, that, as usual, ended with her winning. Thankfully though, he had somehow managed to reign in the proposal that he had been trying to get out for months.

 

Clark had been getting frustrated however at life’s various interventions in his plans, which is why he was grateful for more than one reason when it was announced that they had won the award for investigative journalism. Sure, it was a more public venue than Clark would have liked. However, the ceremony meant that both of them would be in one place with no leads to follow and Superman would be off the clock. Plus, both the general and his mom would be in attendance, making it an opportunity that Clark couldn’t pass up.

 

Perry had already been informed, approving of Clark’s plan wholeheartedly, and had warned the National Press Foundation of what was happening. Everyone who was in the know thought that it was probably be the only way that Clark would get Lois in one place long enough to ask her to marry him, some commenting on how romantic the idea was.

 

He just hoped that she didn’t kill him for asking her to marry him in front of their friends and many professional colleagues. Either way, he was certain that she would eventually get over the choice of venue and any resulting embarrassment. Shutting his eyes, Clark sighed contentedly. After all, it was Lois and Clark versus the world. 

 

And that’s the way it always had been and always would be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last dream thing I swear!


	18. Chapter Eighteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clark and Lois talk about their future.

Lois cracked an eyes open as the sunlight from her open window streamed over Clark’s sleeping figure and hit her in the face. Groaning at the intrusion, she sat herself up in bed, watching as her sleeping companion didn’t even seem to notice the movement at all. She snorted, acknowledging the fact that while Clark should realistically be the first one of them to wake up— after all, he needed less sleep than her and he has super-hearing— he could also probably sleep through a stampede of elephants if he wanted to.

 

Carefully untwisting herself from the tangle of sheets and limbs, Lois made her way to her small kitchen to get herself her first cup of coffee for the day. Her morning ritual was interrupted however, Lois nearly dropping her favourite mug on the floor, as last night’s dream came back to her.

 

Clark’s hearing picked up the increase in Lois’ heart rate, immediately causing him to jolt out of bed and look around for her. When his search of the bedroom turned out fruitless, Clark tumbled out of bed, tripping over himself as he made his way out to the main room of her apartment. “Lo?” He called, his anxiety lessening when saw her standing in front of the coffee machine.

 

Smiling at the sight of her with bedhead and dressed in one of his plaid shirts that was large enough to be a dress on her, Clark wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Morning, Stranger.” He murmured, letting his chin drop to rest on her shoulder.

 

“Clark?” Lois queried, fingers turning white from where she gripped her morning coffee. “Do you remember the dream last night?”

 

He frowned in response to the apprehensive tone of her voice, wondering what it was about the dream that got Lois on edge. It was then that the images flood back to him, remembering the easy back and forth of their future selves, a pleased smile replacing his frown. “I remember pillow talk with you.” He replied, stepping back to give her the room she needed to turn around. “I remember the fact that I’ll be a costumed hero in tights.” He grimaced at the recollection, wondering what on Earth made him think that tights were a good costume idea. “I remember us about to get our first Pulitzer for investigative journalism and me having tried various times to propose to you. Is that any different than what you remember?”

 

“Do you remember the villain of the story, Clark?”

 

Clark paused, running through the dream in his head before answering her. “Lex.” He replied softly. “I guess that Brainiac is using him as the vessel for Zod.”

 

“We need to start forming a plan now.” Lois stated, taking a sip from her mug before placing it behind her on the counter. “I know I’ve never been the biggest fan of Lex, but he doesn’t deserve to be taken over by an evil alien general.”

 

“Okay,” Clark consented, “later today we’ll head into the city and get Chloe and the three of us will visit Jor-El and see if he can provide anymore information.”

 

“How are you so calm about this?”

 

He sighed in response, an easy smile finding its way onto his lips. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her into him and nuzzled his face into her neck. “Because I have you. And from the looks of that dream I’m going to have you for a long time to come.”

 

“You don’t mind? Having your life mapped out for you?” She asked, worrying her lip. “I mean, we found out that we’re going to be journalists at the Daily Planet and we know what you’ll do with your abilities. Hell, Clark, I know when you’re going to propose to me!”

 

“Well, Lois, I had been trying to propose to you for several months already in the dream. There’s a very high chance statistically that something would have interrupted my proposal that night.”

 

Lois slapped his arm. “That’s besides the point, Smallville. Doesn’t it freak you out at all, having your future mapped out for you like that?”

 

“Personally, no. Though I get why it would be freaking you out.” He kissed her forehead softly before continuing, hugging her so that her head rested against his chest. “Lois, you need to understand that for the longest time, I was so afraid that I wouldn’t find someone who would love me for me and could handle me being who I am. Life with me… It isn’t going to be easy. I’m going to have a higher calling to use my abilities for the good of mankind. I didn’t know if I would ever find someone who would be able to deal with that.

 

“Finding out that you’re my soulmate, then seeing that dream… It put all my fears to rest. Lois, in the future, you accepted that there would be times that I’d have to leave you to go help people, but that I would always, always come back to you. And that’s all I’ve ever wanted. So yeah, it’s more than a little weird to know all this stuff about the future, but if that’s what we have to look forward to, then I’m happy that that’s what’s waiting for us. Besides, we may know some knowledge about the future, but we don’t know how we get there. We still get to enjoy the journey.”

 

“I didn’t think of it that way.” Lois sighed, wrapping her arms around Clark’s torso as she burrowed into his warmth.

 

“I’m not going to get mad that you’re a bit freaked out right now, Lo, but you have to admit that that’s not a bad future to look forward to. I mean, we’re clearly at the top of our careers and still deeply in love even though we have just about everything going against us, what, with your impulsive risk-taking and my second job.”

 

Lois pulled back to slap his chest, shooting him a stern look. “Hey, it’s my impulsiveness that will get us the Pulitzer in the first place.”

 

He chuckled in response, pulling her back into him so that his head rested on hers. “I’m just saying.” He tutted. “Anyway, I guess I just like that idea that we’re clearly still in love four years from now.”

 

“You love me?” Lois asked hesitantly.

 

“I do, Lois, I do. Somewhere along the way between meeting you while I was stark naked in a cornfield to dealing with all this soulmate and world-ending stuff, I fell in love with you.”

 

“I love you too, Clark.” She admitted. “Despite all the crazy weirdness that seems to have become our lives, I love you.”

 

He beamed down at her, capturing her lips in a gentle kiss before handing her back her cup of coffee. “Now, why don’t you go get back into bed and I’ll bring you breakfast.”

 

Lois grinned. “Pancakes and maple syrup?”

 

“Don’t forget the eggs and bacon.”

 

“I knew I kept you around for a reason, Smallville.” Lois joked as she headed back into her bedroom, leaving Clark to shake his head at her as he made them breakfast. 

 

They had spent the morning lazing in bed, neither of them wanting to leave the rose-tinged atmosphere that their dream of the future had left them in. It was an incredible comfort to the both of them that four years from now they would still be happy and deeply in love.

 

For Lois, it was comforting to see that even though Clark had a larger than life destiny, he would never leave her behind. Growing up, she had watched how hard it was for her mother to say goodbye to her father when he went on deployments. She knew the life that she had chosen with Clark, being the one to give him the strength to do what he needed to do, would not be easy. But it was a comfort to know that unlike her father, who had accidentally cast aside his young daughters after the death of their mother, putting his duty to the military ahead of family, Clark would not leave her behind. He would leave her, yes. But he would always come back to her and she knew, deep down, that she would always be his first priority.

 

For Clark, it was almost miraculous, the idyllic pattern of their future lives that the dream had revealed. There was no doubt that their future was hectic and fast-passed, and most likely more than a little stressful at times. However, he had seen how Lois would stand by him, how she would remind him of what he was fighting for. Most importantly, it showed him how she would forgive him for any mistakes, all while reminding him that his abilities and what he could do with them was not his whole life. It was a life that Clark had always hoped for, but had never thought he would actually have.

 

“We need to get moving.” Lois grumbled, flopping back onto the bed. She had been going to get dressed, but the bed and the dozing man in it, were far too much temptation.

 

For his part, Clark chuckled, taking advantage of the situation to trace intricate designs on the skin of her back. “We probably should.” He admitted. “We did tell Chloe that we’d be there by one.”

 

“I don’t wanna though.” Lois whined, pushing her lips forward into a pout. “Can’t we just freeze time?”

 

“I wish.” Clark replied airily, grabbing her waist before speeding them both into an upright position. 

 

Lois blinked as she took in the sudden change of position. “Show off.” She teased, poking his chest.

 

He rolled his eyes at her prodding. “You go finished getting dressed. I’m going to head back to the farm and I’ll be back in half an hour to take you to Metropolis, okay?”

 

“Sir, yes, sir!” Lois saluted before marching to her closet, Clark laughing at her behaviour before showing himself out.

 

Clark was introspective as he sped home and quickly completed his chores. It had amazed him the easy intimacy that he and Lois developed so quickly into their relationship, seeing as it was something that he had never experienced with Lana. Despite their lack of physical intimacy in some regards, they were so comfortable lying in bed with each other, gently caressing one another as they talked about pointless things. And clearly, according to their last dream, they would eventually reach the level of physical intimacy that they currently lacked. Clark however was currently happy enough with their ease at which they were currently interacting. Lois expected nothing out of him, understanding his anxiety and not pressuring him. She was fine spending the night with him, even if things never advanced beyond heavy petting, as his mother had once referred to it as after she had walked in on them when they thought she was out.

 

He smiled to himself before he headed back to the Talon to pick up Lois. Sure, he wished that he had had the insight to see Lois through the haze of blind adoration for Lana Lang that had once taken over most of his life without Jor-El’s interference. But now that he was with Lois though, he didn’t care how he ended up with her, no matter how unconventional, because now he was with her. And he couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.


	19. Chapter Nineteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group looks at how to stop Brainiac and Lana and Clark get closure.

The Daily Planet was bustling with activity as Lois and Clark walked into the basement, the pair skilfully avoiding harried copyboys and reporters determined to find the next big story. They searched for the blonde head of their friend, unsurprised to find Chloe in the middle of all the action, her phone practically glued to her ear.

 

“You know,” Lois mumbled under her breath, “it’s kinda weird walking in here and knowing that one day this will be our lives.”

 

Clark nodded his agreement as he grabbed Chloe’s attention, steering the trio towards an empty supply room. Chloe continued barking down her phone as Lois shut the door behind them before finally slamming it shut with an angry growl to end the call.

 

“Uncooperative source?” Clark guessed.

 

Chloe rolled her eyes. “Uncooperative is an understatement. Apparently Lex is announcing some vaccine in a few days. Everyone is going crazy trying to figure out what it is, but no one is talking.”

 

Lois’ eyes widened, quickly snapping her head to look at Clark. “Do you think?” She asked.

 

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he nodded his ascent. “I can give you the inside track on what Lex is announcing, Chlo.”

 

“What? How?” Chloe queried, placing her hands on her hips. Lois sent her cousin a pressing look, watching as the gears turned in her cousin’s head. “Brainiac is involved.” She finally said, looking up at her friends to confirm her suspicion.

 

The pair nodded. “We had our last dream last night and well…” Clark spoke.

 

“And Lex is the vessel for Zod.” Lois finished. “We’re coming to get you so that we can go to the fortress and see if Jor-El knows anything more now. If I had to bet though, that vaccine probably isn’t what Lex thinks it is.”

 

“Right,” Chloe said, springing into action. “Let me just tell my editor that I’m chasing a lead and we can go.”

 

~~~

 

The trip to the fortress provided them with the information that they needed. It just wasn’t the information that they wanted. Chloe left her friends in the loft at the barn after a brief discussion of their options, or lack thereof, promising to check in with them tomorrow. Lois watched Clark carefully from her vantage point on the other side of the loft, watching as he carefully turned the so-called solution to their problems in his hand.

 

She remembered vividly Clark’s reaction when Jor-El had told him what he would have to do to stop Brainiac from bringing Zod back. His face had turned ashen, something that Lois didn’t even think was possible for the super-powered alien. Rage had bubbled up inside him and she was certain that he was going to lash out at his father and tell him that he was wrong, that there had to be another way. 

 

And he did. Sort of. He asked Jor-El how he was supposed to be a saviour of this planet if he killed the people who lived on it. What type of protector of Earth would Clark be if he had to take a life in order to save one?His father never replied. Clark’s answer to his questions was a Kryptonian dagger appearing in front of him, the ominous warning that in order to stop chaos from happening, Clark had to do kill Lex before Zod could inhabit him.

 

Clark had been silent on the way home. Lois and Chloe had bounced ideas off of each other about how to get around Jor-El’s directions, but he had remained stoic, staring out the window of Chloe’s small car as she drove from the caves to the farm. Chloe had tried to bring Clark into the conversation before she gave up, deciding to leave it to Lois to get Clark to speak.

 

Chloe had left five minutes ago, and Clark was still not saying a word, staring at the dagger in his hands. He was careful as he turned it around to look at it from all angle. It was one of the few things in this world that could hurt him, that could cut his skin. For the reason, it fascinated him, as well as frightened him. This piece of metal held so much power and he was supposed to wield that power to kill a human.

 

Clark never wanted to kill someone. His parents had taught him right from wrong and had also shown him that even though he had these incredible abilities, that didn’t make him special. It didn’t give him a reason to rise above the rules that everyone else had to live by. And no matter how evil a person was, Clark didn’t believe that he could ever take a life; Not without going against everything that he had been raised to believe in.

 

Lois fought against the sigh that was threatening to break free from her throat. This was normally something that Martha would handle. The wise Kent Matriarch would know exactly what to say. But she had returned to Topeka early this morning at the last minute and would later be on a flight to Washington. Even if Martha could spare time to talk to her son, Lois knew that Clark didn’t want to bother her. This looked like something that she would have to deal with. No matter how woefully underprepared Lois felt, having been thrust into this crazy secret world only a month ago, she was here and Clark needed her.

 

She broke out of her train of when she heard Clark yelp. Rushing over to him, Lois threw the knife away from him and quickly grabbed his hand. The blood that had started to flow out of the self-inflicted wound stopped almost immediately as the sun hit the injured skin, Lois watching as the skin stitched itself together. Fighting her own amazement, she quickly grabbed a shirt that Clark had left up there and cleaned off his hand.

 

“What were you thinking?” Lois scolded, grabbing Clark’s now cleaned hand and holding it to her chest. “You know that that thing can hurt you!”

 

“I just wanted to see what it would feel like.” He mumbled, looking down at his lap. “I’ve never been stabbed. I’ve been shot and I’ve felt the pain of kryptonite, but I don’t know what it feels like when you get cut by a knife.”

 

She rolled her eyes as she moved to sit next to him on the couch, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him close to her body. “You’re an idiot.” She sighed as she rocked them back and forth, knowing just how tormented Clark’s thoughts currently were.

 

“It hurt.”

 

His understatement made Lois want to roll her eyes once again. Clark rarely experienced pain, it was no wonder that he didn’t know how to describe it. “No shit, Sherlock. It’s a knife. It cut your skin open.”

 

“I can’t… I can’t imagine stabbing someone with that thing. If getting cut with it hurt, I can’t imagine how much it would hurt to be stabbed with it.”

 

“You won’t have to.” Lois replied, grabbing Clark’s chin and making him look at her. “Look at me, Clark. We are going to figure out how to stop Brainiac without killing Lex.”

 

“How?” His voice portrayed the pain that his face refused to show, and Lois felt her heart swell with anguish. Of all people to be told that they had to kill, Clark was the least able to actually follow through. He had the biggest heart of anyone that Lois knew, sometimes too big. He wasn’t like Lois. He didn’t grow up under military discipline, he didn’t learn that you sacrifice the few for the many.

 

Her voice was soft as she answered him, not wanting to reveal the true plan that she had come up with. “We’ll come up with something.” She replied, giving his hand a squeeze before stepping off of the couch. “I’ll leave you alone for right now, but when you’re ready, come inside and we can watch a movie or something okay?”

 

Clark nodded absently as Lois left the barn, the dagger in her hands. She knew that Clark, in good conscience, would never be able to kill. And so, she decided, that if he couldn’t, then she would. If that’s what she needed to do to help Clark, then she would take the black mark on her soul so that he didn’t have to.

 

It’s not just what soulmates did, it was what Lanes did. And Lois, no matter her eventual name change in the future, would always be a Lane.

 

~~~

 

Lana watched from her car as she watched Lois walk into the yellow farmhouse and helped herself to the food in the kitchen. The taller girl had an ease at the Kent farm that Lana had never had in spite of all her years of knowing the Kents. Perhaps it had something to do with how the girl had lived at the farm for several months, but deep down, Lana knew that that wasn’t it. Despite being a self-proclaimed city girl, Lois just seemed to fit with the farm.

 

And it was something that Lana had never understood.

 

With a fortifying breath, Lana got out of her car and headed towards the barn where she hoped Clark would be. She needed to hear it from him that he and Lois were together and that he was happy. It didn’t matter what Chloe had told her when she had returned to Metropolis the other day, she needed to hear it for herself.

 

“Clark?” Lana called as she walked up the steps to his loft.

 

Clark’s brow furrowed as he looked up and found his ex-girlfriend in his barn, wondering what she could possibly be doing on the farm, considering that she was now living in Metropolis. “I’m over here.” He called out, wishing that for once he didn’t have his mother’s impeccable manners ingrained in him. For once, he just wanted to be alone, and her timing was impeccable.

 

“Hey,” she greeted shyly. “Are you okay? You look upset.”

 

“I’m fine, Lana.” He replied, fighting a groan. Yeah, like he was going to tell Lana that in order to save the world he had to kill Lex. That was a conversation that would go down easily if what he had heard from Chloe about the developing relationship between them was true.

 

“Are you sure? Have you and Lois had a fight?” She fought to fight against the chipper tone that was working it’s way into her voice as she thought of the possibility of Clark and Lois breaking up, knowing that Clark probably wouldn’t take to kindly to her joy if they were having relationship problems.

 

Unfortunately for Lana, Clark caught the glimmer in her eyes as she asked about a possible fight between him and Lois. “No…” He spoke slowly, wondering once again what Lana’s motives were for coming to the farm. “Lois and I are better than ever. I just have some things to think over and she’s giving me some space for that. When I’m done we’re going to have dinner and watch a movie.”

 

“Oh.” She replied, hands slapping against her thighs as she fought the feeling of disappointment. “That’s good. Anything you want to talk about?”

 

“Lana, no offence, but I’d rather be alone right now.”

 

“Just another thing to add to the mystery that is Clark Kent then.”

 

Her underhanded dig caused Clark’s polite demeanour to drop slightly, and he snapped his head up to look her in the eyes. “What are you doing here, again? I don’t think you ever said. You haven’t spoken to me really since we broke up.”

 

“Well, Clark, you broke up with me and I was hurt—“

 

“Yeah, we broke up and you dealt with that by immaturely ignoring me whenever I visited Chloe. So what are you doing here, in my barn, now?”

 

Lana’s eyes widened at Clark’s hostile tone. He had never talked to her like that, no one ever really had. There was an underlying edge in his voice that had Lana wondering what else had happened since the break up besides him getting together with Lois. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realise that we were no longer friends.”

 

Clark sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. “Lana, I tried being friends and you wouldn’t let me. I have a lot on my mind right now and if I was going to be with anyone at the moment, I’d be with Lois, in the house, because she knows when to stop asking questions and when to take the blame she deserves.”

 

Her doe eyes blinked rapidly at his words, at a loss for where to go. Taking a tentative step forward, she gently placed her hand on his shoulder, trying not to show her disappointment when he shrugged off her touch. “Clark…”

 

“What do you want from me, Lana?”

 

“I want us. I want to get back together, Clark. I miss you.”

 

He shook his head, chuckling lightly. “I’ve moved on. I’m with Lois now. Is that how you ended up at the lake the other day, spying on us then telling other people about our relationship before we were ready to go public? Did you want to get back together? Did you think that I’d be sitting around waiting for you?”

 

“Yes!” Lana screamed, her voice cracking. “Yes, I did! Look at all the history we have together, Clark! I miss you. I thought that if I gave you some time that you’d understand that it was a mistake to break up and that this time we could work it out. I’m sorry if I leaked your secret relationship with Lois, but I was shocked!”

 

“And you couldn’t have just asked Lois or I?”

 

“Would you have told me the truth?”

 

“Of course.”

 

She cackled as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Oh, that’s rich coming from you, Clark: the man with all the secrets! Tell me, does Lois know the Kent family secret?”

 

“Yes.” He said softly, not looking her in the eyes. “She’s known pretty much since the moment we started dating.”

 

Lana stumbled back at his words as if he had physically slapped her. He sighed at her reaction, but continued speaking. “Lana, we never worked. As much as we wanted to, we were a disaster. We have a lot of history, but it’s just that: History.”

 

“But Clark, if you finally trusted me enough to tell me whatever secrets you’re hiding, maybe we would have worked out. Have you thought about that?”

 

He shook his head. “It was never about trust, Lana. I just… Look, you’re my past and while I’ll always care about you, I don’t want to be with you anymore. Lois… Lois is my future. I love her more than I ever thought that I could love anyone. And the kicker is, she feels the same way. I’m sorry if hearing this hurts you, but Lana, I’ve moved on. Maybe it’s about time that you did too.”

 

His words felt like a punch in the gut. Desperate to salvage anything, Lana launched herself across the loft and planted her mouth against his. Her lips plied against his, begging them to respond, to show her that he still had feelings for her. She started to smile into the kiss as his hands found her shoulders, only for the smile to turn into a frown as he gently shoved her away from him, wiping his mouth of her and stepping away to place distance between them.

 

“I think you should leave now.” His voice was cold as he spoke. “You’ve outstayed your welcome.”

 

Tears pooling in her eyes, Lana fled out of the barn, running past a shocked Lois. Unspoken questions in her eyes, Lois walked up the steps to the loft, joining Clark at his perch looking out over the farm. She remained silent as she stood next to him, looking out over the fields, knowing that he would talk when he was ready.

 

“How much of that did you see?” He asked, his voice tense.

 

“The tail end of it.” She replied, moving to place her hand on top of his. “I noticed her car in the drive and I wondered why she was here. It looked like you guys were finally getting closure so I stayed back.”

 

“She wanted to get back together.” He explained. “It didn’t matter to her that I was with you. I told her that I love you and that I’ve moved on and that she should too.”

 

“I take it that she didn’t like hearing that.”

 

“She thought that I’d wait around for her until she was ready for our next go-a-round.” He refused to look at her as he spoke, knowing that if he met her gaze he wouldn’t be able to get out the rest of his explanation. “She kissed me.”

 

“I saw.”

 

“I didn’t kiss her back and I told her to leave.”

 

“I know. I saw the tear-streaked run from the barn.”

 

He sighed as he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her side against his. Finally, Clark met her gaze, searching her eyes for her gentle reassurance that he had done the right thing. “I never wanted to hurt her,” he lamented, “but she crossed a line. I’m with you and she needs to respect that.”

 

“You did your best.” Lois shrugged, reaching up on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek. “But at the end of the day, there was only one way that Lana was going to get the message.”

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“Clark, you have nothing to apologise for. Lana’s issues are hers to work out. Now come on, Smallville. I believe that you have a girlfriend to feed before I burn down the house trying to cook. Plus, we have a movie date to get to.”

 

He smiled weakly at her attempt at levity, chuckling as they walked towards the house. “You know, Lois, one of these days you’re going to have to learn how to cook.”

 

“Now why would I do that,” Lois questioned, using her arm that wasn’t wrapped around Clark to gesture towards him, “when I have my resident farm boy to do it for me?”

 

Lois screeched at Clark picked her up in response and threw her over his shoulder. He laughed as he barrelled their way into the house, Lois pounding his back in protest. “Clark!” She yelled. “Put me down!”

 

“Only if you agree that today is your first cooking lesson.”

 

“Never!”

 

“Fine. Get comfy then because you aren’t getting down.”

 

Lois groaned, her upper body flopping against his back as she relented. “Fine, I give up. I’ll learn to cook.”

 

Clark grinned as he set her down on the kitchen table and stepped between her legs. “Good. Because I happen to think that cooking together is very romantic.”

 

“Oh really?” She asked, quirking an eyebrow. “Better show me then, Smallville. We may be soulmates, but that doesn’t mean you get a free pass on romancing me.”

 

“Gladly.” He replied as her arms wrapped around his neck. He brought his face close enough to hers that their lips brushed against each others. Her breathing hitched in anticipation before Clark backed away from her and helped her off the table. “But first, time to show you how to not burn pasta.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did warn (someone at least) that there would be more Lana drama. I hope it entertained. I know Clark being snappy is out of character, but I felt that given everything else he has going on, the last thing he needed would be his ex-girlfriend trying to get back together with him when he's perfectly happy with Lois. Plus, I thought it was important that they get closure as it never happened on the show and made Lois look a bit like a second choice, even though we all know that's not true. Plus, the confrontation in my opinion perfectly contrasts the relationships and show the maturity of Clois versus the childhood love of Clana.
> 
> Almost done with this story! Eep! I can't believe it!
> 
> Let me know what you think.


	20. Chapter Twenty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dark Thursday Part 1

Chloe was terrified as she broke several different laws on her way to the Kent farm. After their visit to Jor-El yesterday, they knew that Brainiac would be acting soon. She just hoped that they would have had a bit more time to prepare. According to what Lana had told her however, time wasn’t something they seemed to have a lot of.

 

Lana has practically sprinted into the Daily Planet and yanked Chloe to the side so that they could talk. Once Chloe had managed to calm her friend down enough for Lana to make sense, what was revealed was harrowing. Lana told Chloe that Lex had suddenly got up from where they were sat on the couch and left the mansion. She had followed him to find him in the middle of a field meeting with the human form of Brainiac. That’s when Lana went to find Chloe.

 

Muttering a few words to get Lana out of her way, Chloe had hightailed it to the farm as fast as possible. What Lana didn’t know, but Chloe did, was that that behaviour could only be explained by one thing; Zod was about to be brought to Earth.

 

Chloe sputtered as she quickly located Clark and Lois in the loft, Clark beating Lois resoundly in a game of scrabble. “Lex…. Lana said… Brainiac….” 

 

Clark’s brows furrowed as Lois stood up and grabbed hold of her cousin’s shoulders, forcing Chloe to stop flailing her arms about as she attempted to say too many things at once. “Chloe, slow down. What’s going on?” Lois asked.

 

Taking a deep breath, Chloe spoke again. “Lana came to me at the Planet. She was with Lex and apparently he just left the mansion suddenly with no explanation. And then when she followed him, she saw him meet up with Milton Fine. I got here as fast as I could.”

 

Clark’s jaw set as his face darkened. “I’m going to go see if I can find Lana and get her to tell me where Lex is. I’ll meet you guys at the Planet. We’ll have more resources there.”

 

Lois began to protest, only for Clark to speed off before she could get the change to. She didn’t like the idea of him going off on his own when it was very likely that Zod was now released into this world and would most likely to hell-bent on destroying his only viable resistance; Clark. However, there was no chance of her and Chloe being able to find him now, not with how fast he could move.

 

“Come on, Lo,” Chloe exhaled on a sigh, “there’s nothing we can do now. We’ll be more help at the Planet where we will find out what’s happening as it’s happening.”

 

~~~

 

After not finding Lana anywhere in Metropolis, Clark arrived at the Luthor mansion. It was surprisingly devoid of staff, Clark walking through the mansion without the usual well-meaning queries of Lex’s butler. He found Lana in the library, sat poised at Lex’s imposing desk.

 

“Clark.” She said, acknowledging his presence.

 

“Lana, where’s Lex?” His voice erred on the edge of desperation, his thoughts running rampant with images of the possible chaos Zod could already be causing.

 

“I’m not telling you.” Lana’s voice was firm as she spoke, almost haughty with superiority.

 

“Look, I know that our last encounter wasn’t great, but I really need to know where Lex is.” Clark pleaded.

 

“I said that I’m not telling you!” She replied. “You told me to move on, and I have. I’m with Lex now and I’m standing by him because he at least can be honest with me.”

 

Clark groaned, knowing that he didn’t have the time to point out the hypocrisy in her statement. “Please.”

 

“Unless you tell me why you need to find Lex, I’m not telling you where he is.”

 

Clark was flummoxed. Unless he explained how he was involved in this mess, there was no way to explain to Lana why he needed to find Lex. Any half-truths that he told her would only serve to enrage her.

 

“That’s what I thought.” Lana said. “You know you’re way out.”

 

He didn’t know what to think as he ran to the Planet and filled Chloe and Lois in on his interaction with Lana.

 

~~~

 

“Really?” Lois asked in disbelief. “You turn her down rather nicely might I add because you’re in a relationship and she turns to Lex? Lex, the man with enough family secrets to fill that library of his. Not to mention several that could probably get him in jail? Really?”

 

“I know.” Clark replied as he shook his head. “I don’t get it.”

 

Chloe rolled her eyes before interrupting their discussion. “As much as I would love to discuss Lana’s questionable love life, and believe me, I really would, we have a bigger situation here.”

 

“What do you mean bigger?” Lois asked, narrowing her gaze at her cousin.

 

“There’s an electronic virus about to be released. And it’s going to hit every major city.”

 

Before either Lois or Clark had a chance to respond, a car flew through the window. Clark reacted before he can even think, grabbing his friends into one of his arms and spinning them around so that he took the blunt of the crash with his spare hand.

 

“It’s starting.” Chloe said quietly, carefully looking at both of them.

 

“I need to go. I can’t let this happen.” Clark said solemnly, making sure that the car was no longer moving before turning to leave the newsroom.

 

“Clark!” Lois called out after him.

 

Clark paused and turned around as Lois rushed at him, throwing her arms around him. She gripped his head and pulled him into a kiss. He pulled her closer into him, memorising the feeling of her body against his. Reluctantly, Lois broke the kiss, only to remain trapped in the cage of his arms as she tilted her head up to make eye contact with him. 

 

“I’ll come back to you.” He promised, his eyes revealing the uncertainty of that statement. 

 

“You better.” Lois ordered, placing her hand against his strong heartbeat. The steady beat of his heart was reassuring, and with a steadying breath, she knew that it was time. “Now go.”

 

~~~  
  


Clark immediately went to the barn to find the dagger, cradling it carefully in his hands as he contemplated what he was about to do. To kill Lex would be to go against everything he had ever believed in. But if he didn’t, a lot more damage would occur. He wasn’t sure what would remain of his conscience if he went through with it, but he knew that there wasn’t another option.

 

“You can always find the farm boy in the barn.” 

 

Lex’s voice came from behind Clark and he quickly turned to find his former friend staring at him, the determination in his features showing the cruelty of Brainiac’s plans. “Lex…”

 

“It’s funny, isn’t it? I used to enter this barn as your friend and now I am your adversary. When did that happen, Clark?”

 

“You did this to yourself, Lex.”

 

“You know, I had a great time with your ex-girlfriend last night. She’s so… submissive in bed. I quite enjoyed it.”

 

Rage flashed in Clark’s eyes. “Don’t disrespect her by talking like that.”

 

“Oh?” Lex queried. “Always the valiant knight protecting a woman’s virtue. I believe that you’ll find it enlightening to know what she said what she came to me last night, crying and cursing your name.” Lex took Clark’s silence for permission, and he continued, approaching his once friend with a devilish grin. “She called Lois your whore—“

 

Lex didn’t have the chance to get another word out, his words causing Clark to snap. Fuelled by rage, Clark lunged towards Lex and jammed the blade of the dagger against his throat, free arm holding Lex against him. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you.”

 

“It’s not in your nature to kill, Clark.” Lex replied. “You’re too moral.”

 

Clark’s reply was cut short by the arrival of a third party. His jaw tightened as he saw Brainiac saunter up the steps to the loft. 

 

“It appears that I’ve arrived at quite an exciting moment.” Brainiac crowed. “How interesting. The son of Jor-El holding a knife to his enemy. If only you actually had the guts to finish it off. You won’t though. You’re too… compassionate.”

 

“Brainiac…” Clark voice was a low rumble as he spoke, rapidly flicking his eyes between his two adversaries.

 

“Are you ready, Kal-El? To watch the humans suffer because of your inability to kill? Even a human that’s instrumental to my plan? You know, you can end this all now and join me; Ensure that at least those you care about will be unharmed.”

 

“I will never join you.” Clark roared. Moving faster than he ever had before, he removed the dagger from Lex’s neck and launched it through the air. The blade landed in the construct’s shoulder, and Clark watched as Brainiac pixelated and began to disappear before his eyes.

 

A burst of energy shot into the air as Brainiac informed Clark that he had just opened the portal for Zod to travel through. Brainiac’s corporeal form disappeared and the change in Lex as the portal opened was immediate. Clark eyed him warily, wondering just how Zod would manifest himself in Lex.

 

“You have you’re father’s eyes.” Zod spoke, fighting a chuckle. “Hello, Kal-El.”

 

“Where’s Lex?” Clark demanded.

 

Zod shook his head at Clark’s question. “Lex is dead.”

 

“No.” Clark shook his head. “I don’t believe you.”

 

“I’ll give you a chance, Kal-El. Join me and we can rule this planet together.”

 

“Never.” Clark growled in defiance.

 

“Fine.” Zod shrugged. “Then I hope you can live with that decision for all eternity.”

 

Before Clark could ask Zod what he meant, Zod grabbed Clark by his shoulders and threw him into the air. The portal that Brainiac had opened drew Clark in and he soon found himself soaring away from Earth. Desperate to escape, Clark pounded against the walls of his prison as Earth got farther and farther away.

 

Finally his glass prison broke and Clark plummeted towards the ground. He rolled onto his side as he landed, the impact of the landing causing him to groan in pain. Looking around, Clark found himself confused as he tried to figure out where he was. The sky was no longer blue and instead of the golden fields of Kansas, he found himself looking at piles of grey dirt. Fear gripped Clark as he took in his surroundings. He may not know the name of where he was, but he was able to figure out one thing. Wherever Zod had just sent him, it was where Jor-El had once sent Zod.

 

~~~

 

Meanwhile back at the Planet, Lois was suddenly overwhelmed with a feeling of dread. It felt as if her heart was being squeezed until it burst, as if her lungs were having all the air sucked out of them. Jumping up in a panic, she quickly grabbed Chloe’s car keys out of her purse.

 

“Wow, Lo, what’s up?” Chloe queried, observing her cousin’s sudden change of behaviour.

 

“Something’s wrong.” Lois explained as she pulled them out onto the street and began barrelling their way through the mobs. “We need to get to the farm. Now.”

 

“Lois, tell me what’s going on? Why are we going to the farm? Clark said to wait—“

 

“Something’s wrong with Clark.”

 

“What?” Chloe asked, aghast. “What do you mean something is wrong with Clark? How do you know?”

 

Lois shook her head as she quickly found Chloe’s car and started the engine. “I… I don’t know. I can just tell. He’s in trouble, Chlo.”

 

Not about to argue with her suddenly frantic and determined cousin, Chloe got into her car without question. Her hand clutched onto the safety handle as Lois swerved through the streets of Metropolis on a one way trip to Smallville. Nothing was getting in Lois’ way, not one-way streets, not sidewalks, nothing. If that meant her younger cousin went white-knuckled for a while, then so be it.

 

Once they had navigated through the mob-filled streets of the city, it wasn’t long until they arrived in Smallville and at the Kent farm. Lois sprinted out of the car as soon as she parked, leaving Chloe to trail behind her. The closer she got to the loft, the more the feeling of dread rose.

 

“No!” Lois cried, looking around her to find the dagger on the floor and Clark nowhere in sight.

 

Chloe panted as she reached her cousin. “Lo, maybe he’s dealing with it.”

 

“No, no.” Lois ignored her cousin, gripping the dagger tightly in her hands. “He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t kill.”

 

“He could still be alive. We don’t know what happened.” Chloe placated. She had never seen Lois this out of control. No matter what the situation, Lois always had a level head. She wouldn’t be her father’s daughter if she wasn’t. But right now, Lois wasn’t thinking rationally. She was pacing the loft, clutching the knife against her chest and whispering incomprehensible words to herself.

 

“No, I can feel it. He’s gone.”

 

Martha stumbled as she landed in the barn. However, she quickly oriented herself and realised that Chloe and Lois were above her in the loft. She managed to hear Lois’ last words as she went up the steps and sighed softly to herself. “It’s true.” She spoke up. “Brainiac hi-jacked my plane and Jor-El rescued me and brought me to the fortress. He told me that Clark is lost to the Phantom Zone and that there’s nothing we can do. Clark has to get himself out.”

 

“What?” Chloe almost screeched, focus fixating on Martha and the news she had brought them.

 

“Zod banished him. There’s nothing else we can do. Jor-El said that it’s up to us to stop Zod.”

 

Martha’s words seemed to have a sobering effect on Lois, bringing her back to the realm of rational thinking. “Then we know what we need to do.” She said firmly, sparing a glance at the dagger before speaking again. “We need to kill Zod.”

 

The Earth began to shake rapidly as they came up with a plan, the trembles an indication of what was to come. Between the rapid reformation of the Earth’s surface and the virus, the world was rapidly descending into mayhem. They didn’t have much time.

 

It was decided that Martha would try to find Lionel to see if he had any connection to the fortress left. Lois and Chloe would go to the mansion, the likely source of the events, and try to kill Zod themselves. The trio quickly split up, Lois and Chloe making a beeline to the elusive Luthor mansion.

 

Lois’ grip on the dagger tightened as the mansion came into sight. Chloe was going to try to dismantle the computer program that was reshaping the planet’s surface while she tried to kill Zod. It wasn’t the most well-developed plan, but it would have to do.

 

The world depended on it.

 

Suddenly thankful for her father’s insistence to have a daughter who could complete a military obstacle course, Lois steadily made her way through the rapidly crumbling mansion. Zod it seemed was entertained with a trapped Lana, taunting the girl, her hand pinned to the wall with a knife. Lois didn’t allow herself to focus on Lana’s demise however, her entire focus on defeating Zod.

 

Once Chloe arrived at the computer and began working to shut it down, Lois decided to take action. With one final glance back at her cousin to see her working steadily, if not slowly, at the alien computer program, Lois began her plan. “Hey, Zod!” She called out, waiting for the alien general’s attention to rest firmly on her. “I guess you weren’t expecting me, were you?”

 

“Who are you, human?” Zod queried, leaving Lana to lay limply against the wall as he approached Lois.

 

“You know who I am.” Lois replied, glancing to find that Lana had thankfully passed out and wouldn’t be privy to the next few revelations.

 

Zod tilted his head and looked at Lois curiously. His gaze was intense and Lois fought against the desire to squirm under his scrutiny. She had to appear strong in front of the enemy; She couldn’t afford to show him any sign of weakness. “You are Kal-El’s mate.” He finally concluded, an evil gleam taking over his eyes as he realised who he was talking to.

 

“His soulmate.” Lois corrected, placing her hands on her hips so that they would be closer to the dagger tucked into her waistband.

 

“I must admit, I never expected someone such as Kal-El to have a mate as… fierce as you.” Zod leered at her as he spoke. Lois felt an involuntary shiver travel up her spine as he continued speaking, never once taking his eyes off her. “If only you were Kryptonian, you would have been a more worthy adversary than your mate.”

 

“Clark is more man than you’ll ever be.” Lois growled, her fingers twitching towards the hilt of the dagger.

 

“That’s the problem with him, isn’t it?” Zod cackled, taking another step towards Lois. “He’s more man than Kryptonian and in the end, that was his downfall.”

 

“Buddy, didn’t anyone ever tell you not to piss off the daughter of a three star general?”

 

“A general’s daughter?” Zod asked as he reached out and caressed Lois’ cheek. “I was thinking about making the lovely lady Lana there my mate.” He said, nodding to where Lana laid unconscious. “But the daughter of a general would be a much more worthy mother to my children.”

 

Lois took in a fortifying breath as she firmly wrapped her hand around the hilt and drew the blade out of its hiding place. “As if I would ever be your mate!” She yelled, swinging the dagger forwards and aiming it towards his heart.

 

Zod moved at the last moment, the dagger missing it’s original mark and instead imbedding itself in his shoulder. He screamed out in pain as he pulled the dagger out of his body and threw it across the room. Faster than she could blink, his uninjured arm reached out to grab Lois by her hair, pulling her back to him. Lois yelped in pain as she stumbled backwards, his hand quickly wrapping around her throat and raising her into the air.

 

Lois gasped as he choked her, fingers hanging limply against his hand in a futile attempt to free herself. “It’s too late.” She managed to choke out. “Chloe!”

 

Chloe snapped her head up and took a sharp intake of breath as she watched her cousin scramble against Zod’s iron grip. “I did it, Lois!” Chloe yelled. “I dismantled the program!”

 

As Chloe spoke, Zod roared in anger, the ground beginning to stop it’s shaking. He screamed as he tightening his grip around Lois’ throat. “You’ll both pay for this!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay sorry about the cliffhanger but this note actually has some information:  
> 1\. I'm flying back to England tomorrow to start my final year of uni and I'm going to be super busy with all my classes, my research project and applying to PhD programs (seriously people, pray for my sanity and also maybe pray that I get into my top choice PhD program, that'd be nice)  
> 2\. I have this story completed and another one completed so hopefully I'll be able to update stuff at least once a week and I'll keep you all posted for when I post my second story on here!
> 
> So I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I'm sorry about the cliffhanger but I will post the next chapter when I'm in England (unless I get bored and post it whilst in the airport tomorrow if there is good wifi)!


	21. Chapter Twenty-One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dark Thursday Part 2

Clark slammed into the Earth, his impact causing a boom to echo throughout the surrounding area. The sun’s effect immediately soothed his wounded body and he winced as he was immediately assaulted with thousands of noises. Suddenly, the pandemonium stopped however as Clark zeroed in on once voice. 

 

“Lois.” He said breathlessly, the sound of her gasping for air echoing in his ears. 

 

Without thinking, Clark leapt off the ground and soared through the air, the wind whipping past him and he flew towards the sound of his soulmate. Her heartbeat was weakening, becoming more frantic as she was denied air. Clark crashed through the stain glass windows of Luthor mansion, ignoring Chloe’s shout of surprise as he landed in front of Zod.

 

“Let her go.” He ordered, his voice steely as he stared at his father’s nemesis.

 

“What are you going to do, Kal-El? Kill me?”

 

“If you let her live, I will join you.”

 

Chloe stood up in protest as Lois meekly managed to get out Clark’s name. Zod was unfazed however, musing over Clark’s truce. “Fine.” Zod replied, unceremoniously dropping Lois to the floor. “Kneel before Zod, Kal-El.” He demanded.

 

“Clark…” Lois croaked out, her hands cupping her throat where the rapidly forming bruises were. “Clark, don’t.”

 

“I’m sorry, Lois.” Clark replied, kneeling slowly before Zod and taking his extended hand. “I can’t let him hurt you.”

 

Clark lent forward as if to show his fealty. At the last moment, he reached behind him and pulled out the House of El crystal that he had received in the Phantom Zone. Moving quickly, he brought it down onto Zod’s extended hand, watching as the unsuspecting general screamed in pain.

 

Lois and Chloe watched aghast as Zod’s spirit was ripped from Lex and sucked into the crystal, Clark quickly securing the item in his pocket as Lex collapsed to the ground. “Chloe, call an ambulance for Lex and Lana.” He ordered, scooping Lois up into his arms. “I’m going to get Lois to the hospital.”

 

Chloe nodded silently, phone dialling the ambulance service. Her eyes watched Clark disappear into the horizon, flying towards Smallville medical with Lois cradled in his arms.

 

~~~

 

The nurse stifled a gasp at the finger-shaped bruises on Lois’ neck, Clark explaining that she had been caught in a mob and that they needed to see if her throat was okay. He watched as they quickly carted her away, taking her towards the rest of the simple cases. Clark knew that Lois’ injuries wouldn’t be a priority as many more people were worse off, but she would be dealt with rather quickly, simply because it wouldn’t take too long.

 

He wasn’t sure how long he sat in what remained of the waiting room, watching injured people hobble around as hospital staff aided them. Clark closed his eyes, knowing that he was partly responsible for the disaster scene playing out in front of him. He was took weak to kill Lex, unable to take a life even when it was for the good of everyone.

 

“Hey,” Chloe said softly. She had arrived at the hospital after a nearby ambulance had picked up the unconscious Lex and Lana, riding to the medical centre with them. “I know what you’re thinking.”

 

“No, you don’t.” Clark grumbled.

 

“Clark,” Chloe chided softly. “You can’t blame yourself for this. It would have been against everything that you believed in to kill. And if you had killed, you would be beating yourself up even worse now because you would have gone against your morals. It was a lose-lose situation.”

 

“But look at this, Chloe. Look around. I caused this.”

 

“You didn’t cause this,” She maintained, her voice firm. “Brainiac and Zod did. And Lois wouldn’t want you beating yourself up for this. You know what she would say right now? She’d tell your to pick yourself up and stop throwing a pity party.”

 

In spite of his low mood, Clark found himself chuckling. “You’re right.”

 

“Of course I am.” Chloe scoffed. “And Clark? Humans are a pretty resilient bunch. We’ll pick ourselves up from this and come back stronger than ever.”

 

Clark was about to reply when an orderly spoke up. “Mr. Kent?”

 

Both Clark and Chloe immediately went towards the front desk, eager to hear news. “How is she?” Clark asked, exchanging a glance with Chloe.

 

The orderly smiled. “Miss Lane is one of the lucky ones. Her throat will be a bit scratchy for a few days and she shouldn’t speak too much, but she’ll be okay. She’s asking to see you, Mr. Kent.”

 

“Go.” Chloe said, pushing him in the direction of the orderly. “You can fill me in when you’re back. I should stay out here for Lana anyway.”

 

Clark nodded, quickly rushing past people waiting in order to follow the orderly. The orderly dropped him off at her room and Clark hesitated for a minute before pushing through the door and entering the hospital room. Lois looked so vulnerable, surrounded by blankets and beeping machines.

 

“Hey,” Lois said weakly, managing a smile before coughing.

 

“Thank God.” Clark mumbled as he strode up to the bed and pulled her into his arms, his eyes fixating immediately on the finger-shaped bruises around her neck. “I was so afraid.”

 

“Hey, I’m all right.” Lois comforted. “It takes more than an evil alien general to take Lois Lane out.”

 

Clark smiled at her, sitting back onto a chair. He took her hand and enveloped it in his, needing the contact to know that she was okay, that she was alive. “When I escaped from the Phantom Zone, Lois… The first thing I could focus on when I got my powers back was you. And you were in so much pain. And when I got to the mansion and I saw Zod choking you…”

 

“I’m okay.” Lois replied, squeezing his hand. “You got there in time. Or should I say flew?” She quirked an eyebrow at him. “I thought that you were afraid of heights?”

 

“I am!” Clark maintained. “Or I guess I was. I just heard your heartbeat and how it was weakening and I just acted. I didn’t think. And the next thing I know, I was flying.”

 

“You’ll have to take me for a ride when I’m not injured.” Lois began coughing and Clark quickly handed her the nearby cup of water. Slowly, she took a small sip, closing her eyes as the water soothed her injured throat. “Thank you. As I was going to say, I hope you aren’t beating yourself up over this.”

 

“Don’t worry,” Clark smirked, “Chloe already read me the riot act.”

 

“Good.” Lois smiled. “Now, you should get out of here and find your mom. She’s going to want to know that you’re okay. And then I want you back here in three hours to pick me up when they release me. Okay?”

 

He nodded eagerly, leaning over her to gently kiss her. “Your wish is my command. I love you, Lois. Today, you going after Zod when I was unable to, it just cemented how amazing you are. And when I was stuck in the Phantom Zone, you were what got me through. The fact that you were waiting for me, that I had promised to return to you. Lo, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

 

“I know.” She replied. Clark grinned, knowing that if she wasn’t in a hospital bed, she’d have been flipping her hair over her shoulder. “I’m pretty damn irreplaceable, Smallville.”

 

Clark stood to leave, intent on her getting her rest until the doctor came and gave her the all-clear. “Oh and Clark?” Lois called out after him.

 

“Yes, Lois?”

 

“I love you too.”

 

Clark stepped back out into the pandemonium of the waiting room, almost being barrelled over as paramedics ran by with a stretcher. He gasped when he caught sight of the face of the injured person, a familiar piece of red wood sticking out of his abdomen. 

 

Lionel Luthor.

 

“Clark!” Martha called out, nearly breaking into her tears at the sight of her son.

 

“Mom!” Clark replied with eager emotion, stepping forward to sweep her into his arms. “I’m so glad that you’re okay.”

 

“I’m perfectly fine, Clark, Lionel pushed me out of the way as the barn collapsed and kept me from getting crushed. Brainiac had taken over my plane but Jor-El brought me to the fortress and told me where you were before transporting me back to Smallville… Son, I was so worried.”

 

“I’m fine Mom. And Zod is gone. I’ll be returning him to the Phantom Zone as soon as I’m done here.”

 

“And Lois? Chloe?”

 

“Chloe’s fine, she managed to shut down the program before too much damage took place. Lois is okay, a bit beat up from when she took on Zod.”

 

“Clark…”

 

“I don’t know exactly what happened.” He spoke. “You’d have to ask Chloe. But the first thing I heard when I escaped was her and she was in so much pain… And I flew—“ He stopped, rolling his eyes at his mother’s surprised face. “Yes, I flew. And I got to the mansion and Zod was choking her. Mom, I was so scared. I haven’t been that scared in my life.”

 

Martha rubbed her son’s back as she pulled him into a hug. “But she’s going to be just fine, right?”

 

Clark nodded into his mother’s shoulder. “Yeah. She had some bruising from where he grabbed her and she’ll find it hard to speak for a few days, but she’ll be fine.”

 

“Good.” Martha said, releasing him from her grasp and looking up to study his face. In the span of a day Clark had seen so much. It had been a long time since Martha had been able to look at her son and see the little boy they had found in a cornfield all those years ago. Looking at him now, Martha knew that he was no longer just her son. He was a man, and what an incredible man he was turning out to be. “I’m proud of you, Clark. You saved the day and you did it without compromising your morals. I always knew that you’d be able to do anything you put your mind to.”

 

“But the damage…”

 

“None of that, Clark. We’ll rebuild. Just like after a twister.” She uselessly brushed the shoulders of his jacket, knowing that it wouldn’t be clean until after a spin in the washing machine. “Now, you have someone to return to where they belong.”

 

Clark nodded. “I’ll be back as soon as I can and I’ll start rebuilding the barn.”

 

“Take your time,” Martha replied. “We’ll be here when you get back and we’ll fill you in on everything. You just go finish saving the day.”

 

With a nod, Clark hurried out of the hospital, waiting until he was out of sight before taking to the skies and turning north. The brown farmland of Kansas quickly changed to the white tundra of the Artic as Clark arrived at his fortress.

 

“Jor-El?” Clark called out as he entered.

 

“Yes, my son?” His father responded.

 

“I need to return Zod to the Phantom Zone! He is currently trapped in our family’s crystal.”

 

“Place the crystal on the controls, Kal-El and I will send him back to his fate.”

 

Clark nodded and pressed the crystal into the appropriate groove on the controls. He watched as a beam of light shot up into the sky, causing the fortress to become unbearably bright for a split second before returning to its normal levels.

 

“It is done.” Jor-El confirmed. “Zod has been re-banished to the Phantom Zone.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

“I am proud of you, Kal-El, my son.”

 

“I…” Clark spoke, flustered at his father’s unexpected and unusual praise. “I… Thank you… Jor— Father.”

 

“I am prepared to offer you a compromise about your training.”

 

“Yes, Father?”

 

“Instead of remaining at the fortress until your training is complete, you may come at night several times a week and we will begin your lessons. The fortress has the ability to alter the fabric of time slightly to allow you to spend time here without missing out on your life in Smallville. It will take longer, but it will allow you to complete your training without leaving your soulmate.”

 

“How… How long will it take?”

 

“Roughly one Earth year.”

 

“I accept. Thank you, Father.”

 

“Very well. I shall see you the first three nights of every week to begin your training. Until then, my son.”

 

With that, Clark left the fortress to return to Smallville. As he flew back home to his life, ready to repaid the damage done by what would become known as Dark Thursday, the weight of impending doom was lifted off his shoulders. For just a moment, Clark relaxed, enjoying the sensation of flying. He knew his life would never be simple. But for once, he had hope that he’d be able to do what he needed to do without compromising who he was as a person.

 

And that meant everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the airport has free wifi and I decided to be nice and post the next chapter. Couldn't leave that cliffhanger for too long!


	22. Chapter Twenty-Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of Dark Thursday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: this chapter is the reason for the mature rating

The aftermath of what came to be called Dark Thursday hit hard. Not only was Clark pulling double-duty trying to repair the damage caused from the destruction and starting his training with Jor-El, but he was fighting his first ever cold, the consequence of being powerless in the Phantom Zone. Lois tried to make light of the situation, knowing that Clark didn’t need another person telling him that it wasn’t his fault; Martha and Chloe were doing enough of that. No, Lois would be there for him if he came to talk to her about it. In the mean time, she’d be the comedic relief.

 

It had been funny when they first found out that Clark had gotten sick. Lois had been on a run when a familiar barn door appeared out of nowhere and landed right next to her. So when she arrived back at the farm to find the Kent’s barn missing half a door, she had immediately turned to Clark and teased him about his new power.

 

A few sarcastic barbs were traded and Lois managed to get him to agree to take it easy until he was better—lest he sneeze again and blow away the roof— and she got Clark up to bed for the first solid amount of sleep he had had since Dark Thursday; He had slept almost half the day before he made his way back downstairs. When he came down the stairs, Lois had remained silent, handing him over a mug with tea and honey in it. The gesture was simple, but Clark managed a halfhearted smile at her, and she felt her heart bursting at his first smile in weeks. Finally, it seemed as if things were going to get better.

 

Once Clark was officially no longer at risk for blowing away doors with a sneeze, Martha returned to Topeka, where absolute hell was breaking loose due to the rapid fire legislation that needed to be passed. Clark had actually ordered her to go, explaining that she was needed there more than he needed her to play nurse to him. After all, he had explained, he had Lois now.

 

Lana had appeared to have forgiven Lex for his part in Dark Thursday, and was moving in with him for the summer. While neither Clark, Lois nor Chloe particularly liked Lana’s decision, they respected it. It was Lana’s choice to trust him, and after her immature action of running to Lex after failing to get back together with Clark, they weren’t about to go out of their way to convince her of the errors of her ways. She was an adult and it was time she dealt with the possible consequences of her decisions.

 

Chloe was busy at the Planet, working almost around the clock as everyone covered various stories surrounding the events of the day and the aftermath. Lois and Clark would be going to the city that weekend, helping Chloe to move out of the dorms and into the Talon with Lois for the summer. Today however, it was just Lois and Clark.

 

Lois paused as she stood at the base of the steps that led to the loft. Clark was there, staring out the window, just as she knew he would be. Between everything, the clean-up and Clark beginning his training, there had barely had time to talk about everything that had happened. But they needed to. She could no longer be the comedic relief. They needed to talk.

 

She approached him from behind, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing her cheek against his back. Inhaling, her senses were immediately assaulted with the familiar scent of hay, soap, and something else that was purely Clark.

 

“Hey there,” Clark murmured, turning around so that he could wrap his arms around her.

 

Her head now rested against his chest and she sighed as she heard the strong, reassuring beat of his heart. Its steady rhythm calmed her and gave her the encouragement she needed to finally speak. “We need to talk.” She said quietly. If Clark had had normal hearing, she doubted that he could have even heard it, her voice muffled as she spoke into his shirt.

 

“I know.”

 

“I was so scared.” She choked, her voice breaking as she tried to get it out. “I was at the Planet with Chloe and all of a sudden, I just knew. I knew that you were in trouble. And we high-tailed it to Smallville and when we got to the barn and you weren’t here—“

 

Clark’s hands moved comfortingly up and down her back as she spoke, filling him in on what happened while he was trapped in the Phantom Zone. His heart clenched as she told him about taking on Zod, one hand finding the spots on her neck where the bruises had once been. The physical marks had faded not long ago, but he knew where they were. He had traced them many times in the weeks afterwords when he woke up before her. He would watch her sleep and his eyes were intrinsically drawn to the marks. He had had the urge to memorise them, to memorise the physical proof of just how brave she really was.

 

Lois was just human. She had no special abilities in the sense that he did. And yet once she had known that Clark had been banished, she had taken it upon herself to stop Zod from bringing the world to its knees. She was amazing, his soulmate: Brave and strong and undefinably unique. She was able to risk it all to do what needed to be done. She had understood that he would not be able to take a human life; To kill would mean to be what every UFO fanatic thought aliens would be when they came to Earth: Brutish dictators who used violence to take over the planet. And she understood that, so she went to do what he could not. She was strong in areas that he was weak. They complemented each other so perfectly, not just in day to day life, but in Earth-ending doomsday moments. And he loved her all the more for it.

 

“I’m so sorry,” Clark whispered, brushing his lips against the top of her head as he spoke. “I’m so sorry that I wasn’t there, that I—“

 

Lois cut him off, leaning back to push her index finger against his lips. “I love you, Clark. I’m your partner in life and if that means occasionally taking on an evil alien dictator who trapped you in an intergalactic prison because you have morals and he doesn’t, then well… Sign me up.”

 

“You’re amazing.” His voice was soft as Lois settled back into his embrace, her head once again resting against his chest.

 

“Tell me about the Phantom Zone.”

 

Clark sensed her hesitancy in speaking and he knew that she wasn’t sure if he would talk about it. He sighed. They both built up walls around them for good reasons and they were slowly letting them down around each other. They had let the other in so much in the past weeks, telling each other fears and the reasoning behind them; Fears that they had never told anyone else. And as much as he wanted to protect Lois from the reality of the Zone, he wasn’t about to put that wall up, to withhold that information. Not after all they had been through.

 

Tentatively he spoke, illustrating how he got there and what it was like when he landed. He told her about the Phantoms and meeting Raya, and only when he was fully satisfied that he had told her everything that had happened before he arrived at the mansion to fight Zod did he stop speaking.

 

“I can’t imagine…” Lois started, her voice wavering as she choked back the emotion that threatened to overrule her. “Being the son of Jor-El, that must have put such a target on you and…”

 

“I’m okay, Lo.” Clark comforted, tightening his grip around her as he pulled her in close. “With the exception of my first cold ever, I got out of there unscathed.”

 

“I love you, Clark.” Lois spoke in ernest, her eyes meeting his with intensity. “We haven’t had the most traditional relationship, but God, I don’t want traditional if that means that I wouldn’t get you. I don’t know what I’d do without you, Smallville.”

 

“I know, Lois, I know.” He replied, his hands cupping her face. His eyes searched hers ardently as he tilted her head up so that he could look at her directly in the eyes. “Because I love you too. So damn much.” 

 

His lips met hers harshly, pushing against hers with a passion that they both felt. They had both been so scared of losing the other on that horrific day, neither of them wanting to be completely honest about just how petrified they were to have become so reliant on another person that the thought of living without them was worse than the thought of dying themselves. Her hands rose to grip onto the back of his neck, pulling his body closer against hers as they kissed, tongues fighting, teeth clanging as their lips met again and again with reckless abandon.

 

Clark soon had backed them up against his desk, papers and books scattering to the floor as he picked Lois up and placed her on the surface. His head dipped to suck on her pulse, his teeth nipping at the sensitive skin before his tongue laved over it to sooth the area. She gasped at his actions, throwing her head back to give him more access while her arms simultaneously pulled herself closer into him.

 

Her hips ground into his as she wrapped her legs around his waist, Clark gasping as she rubbed up against him, stopping his ministrations. Steadying his breathing, he leaned his forehead against hers. Her eyes stared deeply into his, her breath fanning his face as they both fought to regain their breath.

 

“We can stop now, if you need to.” Lois offered, loosening her grip on his waist.

 

Clark grabbed onto her thighs before he consciously knew what he was doing, pulling her back towards him. “No.” His reply was firm as he shook his head. “No. I want this. You want this. After everything we’ve been through, everything we’ve done the past few weeks… We can do this. I can do this.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“I’ve never been more sure of anything else in my life. I love you, Lois and I want to show you just how much I do.”

 

Instead of replying, Lois grabbed the back of his head and dragged his lips back down to hers. They quickly fell back into their familiar push and pull, Clark gripping the back of her thighs as he lifted her off the desk and began to blindly move them towards the house. Her hands tangled in his hair, pulling at his dark locks as he stopped his path to the main house, pushing her up against the wall of the barn.

 

She gasped as his mouth once again found her neck, her grip on his hair tightening at the sensation. A moan escaped her mouth before she pulled his head up and planted her lips on his. They stayed like that for several minutes, kissing and panting as their bodies sought to be closer. Clark groaned at the delicious friction of her body undulating against his, their clothes rapidly becoming wrinkled as they bodies moved on their own accords.

 

He began moving again as her lips found his neck. His verbal affirmation of her actions were pleasing her, he knew, but he also knew that Lois wished she could leave a physical mark on his impenetrable skin; Wished that she could mark him as hers. Growing exasperated with her fruitlessquest, Lois moved to regain contact with his mouth. Clark stumbled as his field of view was suddenly blocked once again by her head. His eyes closing as he lost himself in the kiss, Clark tripped on the last stair, causing them to crash into the wall.

 

Lois laughed as Clark reached a hand out to stop a picture from falling to the ground “You better get me into the bedroom soon, Smallville, because I am not explaining to your mom and my cousin how we broke the house.”

 

He chuckled as he finally got them to his bedroom, laying her down on the bed. Her legs remained firmly wrapped around his waist, so Clark propped himself up over her, his elbows supporting his weight as his lips once again met hers. Lois made quick work of his shirt, Clark pulling them into a sitting position as she yanked the shirt over his head. She allowed herself a moment of self-indulgent staring at his naked chest, running her hands up his arms, over his shoulders and down his chest, pausing to look at his face as her hands reached the button of his jeans.

 

Clark’s breathing hitched almost imperceptibly as she played with the button on his jeans. She continued to tease him, her hands coming dangerously close to taking his jeans off, only to stop and travel back up over his abs to rest on his pecs. He growled in frustration, grabbing her hands and pinning them to her sides.

 

“I believe, it’s time for me to level the playing field, Miss Lane.”

 

Lois felt a shiver travel up her spine as Clark’s eyes roved her torso. Gripping the fabric of her t-shirt in his hands, he toyed with the hem before eventually pulling it up and off of her. Her hands latched onto his waist, his touch burning her skin and he gently stroked his hands up and down her sides. They eventually landed on her breasts, cupping them through the thin material of her bra. Her nipples peaked under his touch, Lois moaning as Clark slipped his hands under the fabric to touch her bare skin. With fumbling movements, he was able to unclasp her bra, the item clinging to her for a split second before succumbing to gravity.

 

Time froze momentarily, Clark’s hands on her breasts and Lois sat in his lap, his arousal pressing insistently against her bottom. Their chests heaved as they fought to catch their breaths, an impossible feat in the current situation. Clark blinked once, twice, his eyes momentarily flashing red as he fought the urge to take a pointed nipple into his mouth.

 

“Are you okay?” Lois asked, brushing her hand against his cheek. “We can stop if you need to.”

 

Clark shook his head furiously. “I don’t want to.”

 

Before Lois had a chance to react, Clark dipped his head down and drew one breast into his mouth. She exhaled sharply at the contact, unable to hold back a moan as he lightly bit down. Once he was satisfied with one breast, he switched his attention to the other one, mouth closing down on it as he cupped the other in his hand, gently massaging it.

 

Lois pushed Clark back so that he was lying flat against his bed, her breast popping out of his mouth as she did so. Smirking, she went to kiss her way down his chest, tongue poking out to trace the lines of his muscles. His breathing got heavier as she once again reached his jeans. This time, instead of teasing, Lois cupped his erection, delighting in Clark’s raspy moan at the contact. Slowly, she pulled down his zipper, waiting until Clark was about to remove his jeans for himself, before quickly divesting him of both his pants and his boxers. His erection sprang to attention once it was free from its confines, and Lois looked at it appreciatively, taking it in her hands and slowly beginning to stroke it.

 

“Please.” Clark begged, chest heaving.

 

“Please what?” Lois teased, reaching a hand down to fondle his balls, revelling in the fact that she had Clark, a superpowered alien, practically begging for her, complete putty in her hands.

 

His back arched up off the bed at the simple contact. “I… I just… Please!”

 

Simpering, Lois licked up his shaft, the tip of her tongue collecting the pre-cum off of the head. She sucked only the head, drawing it into her mouth and pulling off, waiting for a reaction. Finally, Clark whimpered, grabbing her head and pleading to her once again. Satisfied, Lois took him into her mouth, bobbing up and down as she slowly took him deeper and deeper.

 

He groaned as he looked down at her while she deep throated him, holding her hair back to create an unobstructed view. Tossing his head against the mattress, Clark swore, hands moving to the back of her head to regulate the pace. “Fuck!” He screamed, back arching as he came.

 

Lois swallowed as she let him go, gently stroking him through his orgasm. She crawled over him, dangling her breasts in front of his face as he recovered. Panting, Clark opened his eyes to find her above him and smiled through his blissful haze. Moving faster than Lois could blink, Clark pushed her onto her back and pulled off her jeans, leaving her in just her panties.

 

She let out an uncharacteristic yelp at the movement, her voice dying in her throat as he stroked her through the thin fabric. “Clark…” She moaned.

 

Heeding her plea, Clark teasingly pulled her panties down her legs, kissing his way back up her legs and stopping just as he reached the ‘v’ of her inner thighs. Lois quaked beneath his touch, hands shooting to grip onto his hair as his tongue flattened against her, stroking up from her opening to her clit. His tongue continues to tease her, entering her and pushing against the tense muscles, igniting the sensitive nerves. She yanked at his hair, her thighs tightening around his head in a vice grip as his mouth lacked onto her clit, lips and tongue teasing the bundle of nerves.

 

“Ah!” Lois yelled as Clark inserted first one, then two fingers in her, stretching her open and curving his fingers in just a way that her vision became spotty. Her moaning increased in volume as Clark smirked, moving his fingers and tongue just a bit faster than should have been possible, his firm arm around her waist keeping her from bucking against him. Clark’s name came out in a strangled moan as Lois’ body tensed beneath him, back arching off of the bed as she thrust her mound into him, begging for more contact as her orgasm wracked her body.

 

Lois was panting heavily as Clark finally came up for air, licking the evidence of her arousal off of his lips. They both groaned as their lips met once again, Lois still incredibly aroused as Clark’s nowhard again erection brushed against her, causing shockwaves to tingle up and down her body.

 

“Condom?” Lois managed to ask.

 

Clark nodded, reluctantly removing his body from hers as he quickly produced a condom from his bedside table. Lois grabbed the foil package from him, tearing it open and rolling it onto him. She delighted in Clark’s blissful face as she spread the lube around the condom, his eyes crossing at the contact.

 

“Ready?” She queried, pulling Clark closer to her.

 

Nodding, his grabbed himself at the base, rubbing the tip of his cock against her clit, before finally pushing into her. He filled her completely, Lois moaning at the stretch. Gently, Clark began thrusting into her, hitching one of her legs over his waist as he lost himself in the sensations. She clawed at his muscular back, nails digging into his impenetrable skin as his hips snapped against hers.

 

He swore under his breath as she dug the heel of her foot into his back, urging him to go faster. Clark pounded into her, lips meeting hers in a sloppy kiss as the pleasure built. “Fuck, Lois.” He moaned, bending his head and placing kisses along her collarbone.

 

“Clark…” Lois replied breathlessly. “I want to be on top. Please?”

 

He shuddered at the idea, quickly rolling them over without removing himself from her. She straddled him, bracing her hands against his expansive chest as she found her rhythm. Breasts bouncing at her movements, Clark’s hips began to thrust up to meet hers, Lois beginning to wail as he used his hands to guide her, slamming her down onto him. Her screams began to stutter as he watched her, hypnotised by her body moving above him.

 

“I… I… Fuck…” Lois moaned, throwing her head back as spike of pleasure began to course through her body.

 

Understanding what she was trying to say, Clark flipped them back over, swinging both of Lois’ legs over his shoulders and pounding her into the mattress. The bed moved with their momentum, hitting the wall as he thrust into her, her legs quaking as her thighs tightened around his neck. He leaned further against her, pushing her legs against her chest as he slipped one hand down to rub her clit.

 

Lois’ eyes opened wide at the contact, the muscles in her pussy tightening around his cock. Clark’s hand grabbed her by the neck and pulled her into one last sloppy kiss before she came, breasts pressing against his chest, head pressing back into a pillow. A trail of expletives left her mouth as she came around him, her orgasm triggering his own as her muscles clenched him. Clark came into the condom with a shout, his hips shuddering as he continued to jerkily thrust into her.

 

He collapsed against her, eventually pulling himself out of her and rolling over, lying flat against his bed as he tried to catch his breath. Closing his eyes for a moment, Clark forced himself to get out of bed to throw away the used condom. Lois wrapped her arms around him as he returned, pulling him back into the bed.

 

Clark gently kissed her shoulder as he pulled her against him, her head resting against his chest. Their sweaty skin rubbed against each other, and Lois knew without a doubt that they would be heading for round two sooner rather than later now that Pandora’s box had been opened. For now, she was content to rest against his chest, letting the comforting beat of his heart lull her.

 

His hands gently traced her curves, running idly up and down her body. “I love you, Lois.” Clark murmured, kissing the top of her head.

 

Lois sighed as she nuzzled into his chest, allowing herself to bask in the afterglow of their lovemaking. “I love you too, Clark.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one more chapter and the epilogue left! And frankly, I'm kinda sad to see this story end! I love the idea and it got written (mostly) so easily, that I'm sad to let it go. Let me know what you think! I really appreciate feedback and comments!
> 
> *side note I've posted this twice because the first time I accidentally didn't copy the whole chapter in so sorry about that! It's all there now!*


	23. Chapter Twenty-Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a normal morning at the Kent Farm

Clark blinked awake as the sunlight from the open window hit him, energising his body. He shifted, trying to get into a more comfortable position as memories from last night flooded his memory. Lois groaned as she felt him move, wrapping her arms tighter around him and gripping him tighter with the leg she had wrapped around his waist. He chuckled at her limpet tendencies, kissing the top of her head and attempting to extricate himself from her so that he could make breakfast.

 

“Bad pillow.” She protested, her words muffled by his chest. “No moving.”

 

“I was going to make breakfast.” He replied, trying to get up only for Lois to push him back down.

 

She shook her head against his chest. “I don’t want breakfast. I want you.”

 

Ignoring her, Clark stood up, letting Lois plop down gently onto the actual pillows as he went to pull on a pair of sweatpants. “You need nourishment.” He corrected her. “Especially after last night.”

 

Lois simpered, remembering how she had woken him up in the middle of the night for round two. “Fine.” She consented. “But later?”

 

“Later.” Clark grinned, giving her a gentle kiss before going downstairs.

 

He rummaged around the kitchen, quickly whipping together a breakfast for them. Normally, he didn’t use his abilities when making breakfast, but he knew Lois and knew that as soon as she came downstairs, she was going to want food; Even though she had protested against it when they had initially woken up.

 

As if she had a six sense for when food was ready, Lois sauntered down the stairs just as Clark was serving up their breakfast, placing the plates on the kitchen table and sliding Lois her morning coffee.

 

“I thought I smelled coffee.” She commented as she took her seat.

 

Clark studied her, smiling when he saw his old football jersey on her back. He liked that she was wearing his shirt, none the least because it had his name on the back. Lois would slap him if she knew what he was thinking, but he liked seeing her with his name, liking the sense of ownership. Not that he owned Lois, he would never even try to. But with his name on her back, it was a firm message to everyone around that she was his.

 

“You know,” Lois mumbled through a mouthful of eggs. “I really ought to make you breakfast one of these days.”

 

Clark fought against the natural reaction of his eyes widening in fear, remembering all too well her attempt at making his family breakfast not so long ago. “Lois, I didn’t fall in love with you because of your cooking skills.”

 

“I know.” She grumbled. “But still. You always do the cooking.”

 

“You’re not June Cleaver, Lo. I don’t expect you to cook.” He replied, rolling his eyes at the ideas of Lois as a fifties housewife. Yeah, that would go down so well. “Besides, my stomach may be made of steel, but my tastebuds aren’t.”

 

“Hey!” Lois protested, throwing an orange from the fruit basket at him. “Take that back!”

 

Clark chuckled as he caught the projectile, safely nestling it back into the basket. “No.”

 

“Take it back.” She growled, crossing her arms over her chest.

 

“Lo,” Clark soothed, “I love you despite your lack of cooking skills. If you want to learn how to cook, I’d be happy to teach you, but for the love of cooks everywhere, don’t go cooking unassisted yet.”

 

“Fine.” She relented. “Then for the next few weeks I’m going to be cooking every meal right along side you until you deem my cooking edible.”

 

Clark’s mouth twitched as he fought against saying that it would probably be more than a few weeks before he left her alone in the kitchen. “Fine. It’s a deal. Now, Miss Lane, I do believe that we had another deal arranged. Something about breakfast and round three?”

 

“Oh, we did, did we?” Lois asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

“We did.” Clark replied, reaching over to pluck her off of her stool and into his lap. Her arms wrapped around his neck loosely as she looked down at him, enjoying the rare opportunity to see him from a higher vantage point. “In fact,” He continued, beginning to trace his hands up and down her back. “I believe that you were the one who bartered it.”

 

“Hmm…” She murmured, bringing her face down to his so that their breathing intermingled, breaths fanning out over the other’s cheeks. “I think I remember something like that. You’ll have to refresh my memory though.”

 

“Gladly.” Clark grabbed her chin, pulling her mouth down to his to capture her lips in a kiss.

 

The kiss quickly became heated as Clark rested his hands against her lower back, pulling her closer as she ground down into him. Lois’ grip tightened around his neck as she tangled her hands in his hair, pulling at the dark locks and wrapping them around her fingers. Her hands yanked his head back, exposing his neck to her and allowing her to latch her lips onto his jugular.

 

He moaned at the feeling of her tongue laving his pulse point and his hands went to grip her thighs. Gently, Clark massaged the smooth skin revealed by his jersey as she straddled him. Lois nipped gently on his neck, causing him to jerk. Determined to give her a taste of her own medicine, Clark began stroking her thighs, moving his hands and subsequently the jersey slightly upwards, passing her lace covered-hips to find her back bare.

 

“No bra?” Clark queried, a mischievous look in his eyes.

 

Lois nodded coquettishly, yelping in surprise as Clark arched her back until her upper torso was supported by the kitchen table. Legs stilled wrapped around his waist, her hands began to rove his upper back as Clark brushed his mouth teasingly against her breasts through the fabric of his jersey.

 

She gasped, digging her nails into his impenetrable skin. “Clark…” Lois moaned breathily, hands pressing against the contoured muscles of his back as she felt her nipples pucker at the slightest stimulation. After last night, she knew all too well what Clark could do, and oh, could he do it well.

 

“Lois…” Clark replied, his voice equally breathlessly as his hands pushed up the jersey so that it pooled just below her breasts, his hands grabbing onto her ass, groping it through the lace of her panties.

 

Frantically, Lois moved to push his sweats down and Clark’s hands fiddled with the edge of her panties, slowly beginning to pull them down and give him access. Her groan of frustration at the difficulty of removing the few barriers between them was caught in his mouth as he covered her mouth with his, thrusting his tongue in against hers.

 

~~~

 

Chloe grinned as she got out of her car. They were going to take Clark’s truck up to the city, knowing that his car would be able to take more of Chloe’s stuff than her small bug, and move her back to Smallville for the summer. And Chloe was all to ready to retreat to the country for a few months. Unlike the city, here in the country, you could almost forget that Dark Thursday had happened not long ago. With Clark’s repair efforts first centring on Smallville before expanding to Metropolis, the farming community was quickly back on its feet and it was almost as if nothing had ever happened. It was a breath of fresh air coming from Metropolis, where reminders of that day still loomed around every corner.

 

The gravel crunching under her feet, Chloe made her way to the front door, excited and ready to get moved out of her dorm and into the Talon to share with Lois for the summer. Everything in the world seemed to be great at the moment. In the aftermath of Dark Thursday, Chloe had reconnected with Jimmy, her first love, and they had agreed to give it a go. She and Lois would be roommates for the summer, no doubt leading to both of them getting into more trouble than they should. And to top it off, Clark had struck a deal with Jor-El about his training and was finally taking a critical step towards learning about his Kryptonian heritage and his destiny. 

 

Pushing the kitchen door open, Chloe yelped at the scene in front of her. “Oh my God!” She yelled before covering her eyes, turning around and bolting out of the house. Half naked on the kitchen table were Clark and Lois, caught in a heated lip-lock and looking like they were well on the way to taking it further, location be damned.

 

Lois giggled as Clark pulled back, his chest heaving with his laughter as he rested his head against her shoulder. “I think we scarred my cousin for life.” She said, referring to the way that Chloe had hightailed it out of the kitchen after having caught them in such a compromising position. 

 

“I don’t think she was expected to find her best friend and her cousin going at it on the kitchen table when she came over this morning.”

 

She rolled her eyes, sliding down from the table and resituating her minimal clothing. “Come on, let’s go tell her it’s all clear to enter.”

 

Clark blushed, casting his gaze towards the floor. “I uh… I’m going to need a minute. I’ll just go get a shirt from upstairs.”

 

Lois glanced down at his very prominent bulge. “Tonight.” She promised, giving him a lingering kiss and pressing herself against him before pulling away. “Now go calm down and put a shirt on.”

 

She watched as Clark ran up the stairs, waiting until he was out of sight before calling out to her cousin. “It’s all clear, Chlo!”

 

Chloe tentatively stepped back into the kitchen, peering through her hands to make sure that Lois was telling the truth. Deciding that it was, in fact, safe, she lowered hands. “Where’d Clark go?”

 

Lois shrugged. “He’s upstairs putting a shirt on. Thought that might make you a bit more comfortable.”

 

Despite the situation she had found them in, Chloe laughed. “A little. So how long until you guys are ready to come to Metropolis and move me out?”

 

“Well, we were just eating breakfast, so give us a half hour? You know Clark can get ready in no time and despite my inclination towards long showers, I was an army brat.”

 

“Oh, is that what we’re calling it nowadays?” Chloe queried.

 

“Shut up!” Lois replied, gently punching her cousin’s shoulder before gesturing to the dirty plates. “We were eating breakfast.”

 

Clark ambled back downstairs during the exchange, watching as Chloe ribbed Lois for the scene that she had walked in on. Apparently the younger cousin had recovered enough from her shock to begin to tease the elder cousin mercilessly.

 

“Good morning, Chloe,” Clark greeted, reaching around Lois to pick up their plates and put them in the sink.

 

The sink filled with bubbles as Clark began washing the dishes, Chloe’s reply nearly making him drop a plate on the floor. “Not as good of a morning as yours, I’m sure.” The blonde smirked.

 

“Chloe!” Lois scolded as Clark blushed profusely.

 

Clark groaned as the cousins began bickering good naturedly about the situation. He just knew that it was going to be a very, very long day. At least until Lois got some ammo on Chloe to get her to shut up about walking in on him and Lois. 

 

Yet somehow, there was nowhere else he’d rather be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it! Only the epilogue left!


	24. Chapter Twenty-Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue

**Metropolis, Kansas**

**2012**

 

Lois was uncharacteristically nervous. Very few things ruffled the intrepid reporter. Not mob bosses, not Lex Luthor, hell, not even the president of the United States intimidated her. Lois Kent, née Lane, was not easily perturbed. She wasn’t even nervous when she had found out all those years ago that she was Clark’s soulmate. Angry at those weird dreams? Yes. Annoyed at Jor-El for interfering with their lives? Yes. Scared for Clark on Dark Thursday? Hell yes.

 

But nervous was an emotion that was new to Lois. She had been nervous before a few times, several of those times having to do with Clark. She had been nervous introducing Clark to her father as her boyfriend, knowing that as much as the General may have been thankful to the Kents for taking his daughter in, it was different knowing that she was dating their son. She had been nervous when they were waiting to hear if they got their jobs at the Planet, even though she knew that they were going to. They got the jobs, obviously, but it was a huge career move, and Lois had been nervous making it. Lois had been even more nervous when they had moved to Metropolis together after graduating from Central Kansas and getting their jobs at the Planet. Despite the fact that they were already basically living together, splitting their time between the farm and the Talon after Martha had moved to Washington, she and Clark had never officially moved in together until that day.

 

Lois glanced down at the rings on the third finger of her left hand as she paced the apartment. The glint of her rings calmed her as she slowed to a stop, right hand gripping her left wrist as she remembered the moments in which she had gotten the rings.

 

_She was wearing a red cocktail gown, the dress hugging her figure. The sole of her nude heel tapped against the floor impatiently as she waited for Clark to finish getting ready. A last minute save—the last one of the weekend, he swore—had him running a little behind schedule. Lois was used to it, she was. This was what she signed up for by getting in a relationship with Superman. And she didn’t regret a second of it, especially considering how she had gotten the first interview with his superhero alter-ego after he went public, about a month after they had started working at the Planet._

 

_“Smallville!” Lois ordered. “Hurry up or we’re going to be late and you’ll have to explain why to Perry!”_

 

_Clark chuckled as he rushed out of the adjoining bathroom of the hotel room, hands fumbling with his tie. She rolled her eyes, swatting his hands away and finishing the knot herself. “Thank you.” He murmured, placing a kiss on her forehead._

 

_“You’ve been wearing ties for how many years and you still can’t tie them?” She teased, smoothing the tie against his shirt and handing him his suit jacket._

 

_He smirked as he shrugged into his jacket. “Now why would I learn when I have you to do them for me?”_

 

_Their banter continued effortlessly as they made their way downstairs to the ballroom, quickly greeting fellow members of the press before making their way to the Daily Planet’s table. Their editor ushered them into their seats, Perry practically shoving them down by their shoulders._

 

_“There you two are! I thought that I was going to have to send Jimmy up!”_

 

_“Now, Mr. White,” Lois’ father spoke up from where he was sat with Martha next to Jimmy and Lucy, who had started dating a short while ago. “I told you that I didn’t raise my daughters to be tardy.”_

 

_Martha smirked, her eyes shining as she spoke. “Now, Sam, that may be true, but as evidenced by their award tonight, Lois and Clark can get into trouble just about anywhere.”_

 

_The General relented with a grunt, the table settling into easy conversation as the dinner was served._

 

_“Nervous yet?” Perry asked gruffly. “I still remember my first Pulitzer.”_

 

_Lois waved her hand. “Perry, I’ve faced down gun-runners in the Congo—“_

 

_“And gotten shot for your effort.” Clark added grimly, remembering all too well the feeling of receiving the call telling him of Lois’ wound._

 

_“It was a flesh wound, Smallville.” Lois replied, causing her father and sister to laugh as Clark rolled his eyes, grumbling at her blasé tone. “Anyway, Chief, I’m not nervous. I have no reason to be. We get the award, say a few words, and then we have a shiny plaque to hang up.”_

 

_Perry chuckled. “Whatever you say, Lois. What about you, Clark?”_

 

_Her eyebrows narrowed at Perry’s tone, surprised to find her father staring intently at Clark while her boyfriend answered Perry’s question with ease. “Ah, I’ll have Lois up there besides me, Chief. There’s no reason to be nervous.”_

 

_Lois could swear that she heard her father grumble ‘good answer,’ but before she could interrogate further, the award ceremony started, everyone quieting as one by one the various journalism awards were announced. She felt Clark tense next to her as the award for investigative journalism was introduced, the runner-ups being mentioned. Once the formalities were over, the presenters gave a quick spiel on how Lois and Clark discovered the story before inviting them up to collect their award._

 

_He gripped her hand in his as they swerved through the tables and made their way up to the stage, Clark bending his shoulders a little less than normal. While acting clumsy was important for keeping Clark Kent separate from Superman, this was their night and he was going to let just a bit of his internal confidence shine through his bumbling reporter persona._

 

_Lois quickly took hold of the microphone as Clark grabbed the award carefully, holding the plaque in his hands as she quickly thanked their families and Perry. Almost greedily, Lois stole the award from Clark’s hands, causing a few audience members who were familiar with the couple to chuckle._

 

_Wiping his hands on his trousers, Clark felt for the square box he had stashed there earlier this evening. Clearing his throat, his adjusted the microphone before speaking into it. “As was said earlier, we got the lead for this story while on a date. Nothing will stop my partner from chasing a lead, not even the promise of a chocolate soufflé.” He felt himself relaxing as he received an encouraging look from his future father-in-law. When Clark had asked Sam for his blessing all those months ago, he hadn’t expected that it would take him this long to actually propose. Granted, knowing Lois, he really shouldn’t have been surprised._

 

_“Well,” Clark continued. “What Lois doesn’t know, was that I was going to propose to her that night.” Lois gasped besides him, eyes going wide as she suddenly remembered the dream that they had had so long ago. He was proposing. This was it. “That was my first attempt. There had been several others since then, but for those who know us, they know that our lives can be a bit… hectic. And when I heard that we got this award, I couldn’t think of a better situation where she isn’t going to go running off to meet a source. You don’t make it easy to ask a simple question, Lo, but if you did, you wouldn’t be the woman that I fell in love with.”_

 

_Clark took a deep breath before getting down on one knee, pushing his glasses up before taking out the ring box and opening the lid. Lois gasped as she saw the simple diamond ring, arms clutching their award as if it was her lifeline. “Lois, to say that it was love at first sight would be a complete lie. You bossed me around and annoyed me to no end. But over time as we got to know one another, you revealed a different side to me and slowly, those traits that drove me insane became traits that I couldn’t live without. I love your tenacity, your sometimes brutal honesty and your need to find answers. Sure, you still can annoy me like no other, but you push me to be a better man. I don’t know what I’d do without you and I want you by my side every day for the rest of our lives. And, since I’ve now gotten further than I have in any other of my attempts, I only have one more thing to say. Lois Lane, I love you. Will you make me the happiest man on Earth and marry me?”_

 

_The award nearly dropped to the floor if it wasn’t for Clark catching it at the last minute, Lois’ hands flying up in the air to her mouth as she choked back a sob. Nodding her head furiously, Lois shakily extended her left hand. “Yes!” She exclaimed, Clark grinning as he slipped the ring onto her finger._

 

_He had barely had time to put the ring box back in his pocket when she yanked him up by the collar of his dress shirt and melded her lips against his, her new ring pressing against the nape of his neck as she pulled him into her. The kiss didn’t last as long as either of them had wanted it to, both of them conscious of their audience as people whistled and shouted their congratulations. Lois blushed sheepishly as Clark once again pushed at his glasses, taking her hand and leading them back to the table._

 

_There were congratulations all around as Lois leaned against Clark, proudly portraying her ring as she clasped his hand on the table. “I love you too, Smallville.”_

 

Lois blushed as she remembered how she was glad that Clark had gotten the League to cover for him that weekend. Until their celebratory family dinner the following evening, she hadn’t let him out of bed. Thoughts of that night quickly led to Lois thinking about their wedding night, remembering how the months of stressful planning and fear that Clark would be called away on their wedding day had culminated in one of the most memorable days of her life.

 

_Lucy and Chloe watched as Lois paced the bride’s room, fiddling with her engagement ring. It was a habit she had developed since she had first put it on almost a year ago. They were getting married right in between the anniversary of the start of their relationship and the anniversary of their engagement. That bit of sentimentality had been Clark’s idea._

 

_“Are you sure—“ She began to ask, only for Chloe to quiet her._

 

_“Lois, Clark is not going to miss your wedding. Besides the members in attendance, the other members are all covering for him until he returns from your honeymoon, baring any international disasters. Relax. Everything is going to be fine.”_

 

_“After the magical disaster that was our bachelor and bachelorette party it better be.” She muttered, glancing in the mirror to make sure that her hair and makeup were still in place._

 

_“You know,” Lucy replied, stepping up to fix her sister’s veil. “At some point both of you are going to have to tell me about this night that ended up with several hungover superheroes and my cousin married to Oliver Queen. I’ve been let in on the whole secret identity thing, why can’t I be let in on this?”_

 

_Lois and Chloe exchanged a glance before she answered her sister. “Luce, after you survive your own bachelorette party, we’ll fill you in.”_

 

_Lucy was about to protest when there was a knock on the door, Martha tentatively peaking her head in. “Oh, Lois,” she cooed, “you look beautiful. You’re going to knock Clark off his feet.”_

 

_“You think?” She questioned, hands smoothing down the skirt of her dress._

 

_“I know.” Martha smiled. “I just left him in there with Bruce, Oliver and your father for a man-to-man talk.” At that, her soon to be mother-in-law rolled her eyes. “I’m sure your father will be in here soon, but I just wanted to see you before the walk down the aisle. Jonathan would be so happy to know that you two finally found each other. He always said that if we had had a daughter, he’d have wanted her to be like you.”_

 

_Lois rushed forward and hugged the woman who had been like a mother to her since she had effectively crashed her way into life on the Kent Farm. This had only resulted in Martha scolding Lois for wrinkling her dress, the elder woman quickly sorting her future daughter-in-law out and giving her a gentle smile. “Well, I best get to my seat. The next time I see you, you’ll be officially a part of the family.”_

 

_Just as Martha left, the General entered the room after getting the all clear from Lucy. He chocked up as he set his gaze on Lois, showing his normally hidden emotions. “You look so much like your mother.” He stated, taking the tissue that Chloe handed him without comment. “She so wished to be here for you girls…”_

 

_“We know, Dad.” Lucy soothed, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Come on, Chloe, let’s go meet the groomsmen.”_

 

_Chloe nodded and they exited the room, giving the father and daughter a moment to talk._

 

_“You know, Lois.” Sam started, walking across the room to look out the window. “I think the moment I saw you and Clark together at the safe house, then again at the farm, that you’d be together. You’d finally met a boy who could keep up with you.” He chuckled as he looked at his daughter. “Granted, while I’d always joked it would take extraordinary men to handle my daughters, I didn’t think that one of them would end up with Superman.”_

 

_Lois laughed, remembering the comment her dad had made after he was let in on the Kent family secret. He had been equal parts disbelieving and amazed, making a joke about how it took someone from out of this world to woo with his worldly eldest daughter. “I really love him, Daddy.”_

 

_“Good.” Sam nodded curtly, his posturing showing his years in the military. “And from the ball of nerves he was in his dressing room, I know he loves you just the same. I was nervous, knowing that you’re going to have to make some of the same sacrifices your mother did because I was in the army. With him, it’s possibly even greater. But he’s going to need you, Lo, if he’s going to keep doing what he’s doing; He’s going to need you to come home to. And it’s going to be hard, I won’t lie. But I think that if you both hold onto how you feel today, then you’ll make it.”_

 

_Lois nodded as her father carefully wiped the tears from her eyes without smearing her makeup. “Now, come on, it’s about time I walked you down the aisle.”_

 

_The next moments passed in a blur, Chloe and Lucy marching ahead of her. The next thing Lois knew, her father was guiding her down the aisle as she clutched onto his arm. Her eyes locked with Clark’s as he looked her up and down, drinking her in. His mouth fell slightly open, tears forming in his eyes until Oliver gently nudged him in the side. She watched as Oliver smirked, Clark quickly shutting his mouth and smiling his easy smile at her. It warmed her down to her toes as she smiled back at him, her heart nearly stopping as she reached the alter of the church. The fact that Clark’s parents had been married here just made it all the more special._

 

_Lois barely heard the priest speak as her father handed her to Clark, her fiancé’s warm hand enveloping hers. ‘I love you.” He mouthed, squeezing her hands. Lois beamed, mouthing the words back._

 

_The words of the priest brought them both back to reality. “The couple has written their own vows.” He nodded at Clark, Oliver handing him her ring before stepping back._

 

_“Lois, you had once told me that ‘my charm is an acquired taste, much like my sense of fashion.’ Well, though I’m sure the 19 year old you would disagree, it appears that you’ve acquired that taste.” Lois gaped at him, punching him lightly in the arm, much to the amusement of everyone else. “Granted, someone once told me in reference to you and I that ‘the best ones always start that way.’ I didn’t believe it at the time, but it’s true. To use the words of our editor, you and I, we’re a front page story. We don’t have a conventional relationship, but I hope we never do. Because then we wouldn’t be us. You’ve shown me what it means to truly love someone and be loved in return, no matter what. I love you, Lo, and I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy; Be it salvaging your failed attempts at cooking or correcting your alarming spelling, to watching as your eyes light up as we chase down a lead on a story or just simply spending the day together. The good days and the bad, I want to be there. Just like I know that you’ll be there for me, helping and supporting me. So here, on this day, I promise to love you and cherish you for the rest of our lives. Because when you love someone, it’s not for a moment, it’s not just for a day, it’s forever.” He finished, slipping the ring onto her finger._

 

_Lois cleared her throat as Chloe handed her Clark’s ring. “Clark, from the moment I met you, I knew that our relationship, no matter how it has been defined throughout the years, would be anything but normal.” Lois giggled as Clark blushed, clearly remembering the night that they had met. “But, you know what? Normal is overrated. I don’t want to be normal, if it meant that I wouldn’t have you by my side. I have been by your side on the lowest days of your life, and you’ve stood by me on mine. And here, on arguably one of the best days of both of our lives, I find myself by your side again. And that’s the only place I ever want to be. You are my shoulder to lean on and I amyours. I think marriage is like what my dad always said about the army. You only do it if it’s the only thing you can ever imagine doing. And Smallville, I can’t imagine standing here with anyone else but you. Clark, I love you, and I promise today to continue loving you, not matter what life throws at us. And knowing us, it’s going to be an interesting life.” She heard the bridal party chuckling as she slipped the ring onto Clark’s finger, Clark looking down at her in anticipation, waiting for the final words from the priest._

 

_“By the power vested in my, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”_

 

_No sooner than the words had been spoken than Clark had gathered Lois in his arms, pulling her into him and pressing his lips to hers. The kiss was chaste, mindful of the fact that they were in a church in front of their friends and family, but it left them both breathless as they reluctantly pulled apart._

 

_“Ladies and gentlemen, may I now present to you Mr. and Mrs. Clark Kent.”_

 

Her daydreaming was stopped when the front door opened, Clark looking slightly disheveled from changing back and forth between Clark Kent and Superman all day. His smile nearly split his face in two when he saw her standing in the living room of their one bedroom apartment in downtown Metropolis.

 

“Hey there,” he exhaled. “I finished up as fast as I could at the Planet when you called. Is everything okay?” He asked, his eyebrows creasing with worry.

 

Lois laughed, walking forward and wrapping her arms around his neck. “Everything’s fine, Clark.”

 

Her husband frowned, placing his large hands on her hips. “Are you sure? I got worried when I returned from a save and Jimmy told me that you had bolted out of there at lunch and hadn’t been back since. You never leave early. Are you sure you’re okay?”

 

Taking a fortifying breath, Lois smiled at him. They were ready for this. They could handle this. After all, they were soulmates. Their love had lasted for lifetimes. “I’m fine. In fact, I’m better than fine.” Clark raised an eyebrow at her, clearly asking her to clarify her statement. “You know how you said that we might have trouble having kids?”

 

He nodded slowly, taking in her words. He gasped as what she was telling him began to sink in, his head tilting in confusion as his mouth gaped open. “Lo, are you… Are you trying to tell me that…”

 

Her grin widened. “I’m pregnant, Clark.” She gushed. “We’re going to be parents.”

 

His eyes widened in shock as one hand subconsciously found her still flat stomach. “We’re… You’re…” Clark was flabbergasted, unable to form a complete sentence in his shock.

 

“I was a week late and I tried not to think too much of it because I didn’t know if it was even possible but… I’ve started showing some of the early symptoms and after the smell of Jimmy’s coffee made me want to hurl, I figured that I needed to stop being in denial, so I ran out of there without saying anything and got some tests and well…” Lois shrugged, tears forming in her eyes as she spoke. “They were all positive. We’re going to be parents! Nine months from now we’re going to have a baby!”

 

The news finally seemed to sink in for Clark. He shouted his joy, picking Lois up around the waist and twirling them around. “We’re going to be parents.” He said as he set her down, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close to him. Tilting her chin up, he captured her lips in a soft, sweet kiss before pulling away. “Thank you so much, Lo. I never thought… I barely let myself… God, I love you so much.”

 

Lois leaned her head against his shoulder, sighing as she felt his warmth surround her. Who would have thought the bickering housemates that they once were would fall in love and start a family? “I love you too, Smallville. I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it! Hope you all enjoyed reading it because I enjoyed writing it.
> 
> I'll be posting a new fic tomorrow called Labyrinthine, so keep an eye out for that! It's my interpretation of what would have happened if Lois, instead of Chloe, got dragged to the Artic with Clark at the end of Season 4/beginning of season 5.


End file.
